On July 26-30, Blue Ridge Community College will offer 29 high school students in Henderson and Transylvania Counties the opportunity to take part in the college’s first ever advanced manufacturing camp.  Camp TECHhead is focused on helping students to learn it (formulas & blueprints), design it (using cutting-edge technology) and create it (with advanced machinery).  Students will also earn their NC Career Readiness Certificates, emerging with a realistic understanding of the variety of career opportunities in advanced manufacturing.

Utilizing a collaborative marketing approach developed by Summit Marketing and West Henderson High School students, the camp was branded as Camp TECHhead.  The camp will be facilitated by Kevin Willsie, a Six Sigma trainer and engineer at Elkamet and Amy Singletary, a Career Technical Education instructor from North Henderson High School.  Utilizing equipment in the college’s electronic, mechanical, and virtual reality labs, Kevin will introduce students to Lean Manufacturing Concepts and lead them through a simple Kaizen event.  He will also illustrate through hands-on activities the importance of critical thinking, team work and communication in a manufacturing setting.

Students will also tour Western Carolina University’s Center for Rapid Product Realization where staff will interact with camp participants and provided examples of how research and development initiatives help bring new products to full scale production.  Using the knowledge presented through interactive activities and the field trip to WCU, students will then tour several area manufacturing operations including Continental Teves, UPM Raflatac, and the nearby BMW final assembly facility where campers will be able to view first hand the technology, mechanical systems, and employee skills used in today’s advanced manufacturing companies.

On the final day of the camp, students will join family members and school officials at the college’s Flat Rock campus for a cookout and team presentations centered on the themes of the camp. According to Julie Thompson, Dean of Workforce & Economic Development “the camp is collaborative effort between the Blue Ridge Community College, local educators, and manufacturers to help transform stereotypes and allow students and parents to witness the advanced nature of today’s manufacturing environment.”

According to current employment figures nearly 17% of Henderson County’s workforce is engaged in the manufacturing sector, well above the 9% national average.  The goal of this camp is to build upon the success of Henderson County as a viable location for advanced manufacturing and help students connect with those organizations and individuals that will be instrumental in their future goals and career aspirations.