Alexandria, LA (6/3/2024) — Louisiana Central is excited to host the second annual Manufacturing Career Camp. Manufacturing Career Camp 2024 will be June 10 – June 14 at the Cleco Advanced Manufacturing Center in downtown Alexandria. This year’s camp is presented by Louisiana Central and Central Louisiana Technical Community College.
Manufacturing Career Camp is designed to introduce high school sophomores, juniors and seniors to manufacturing careers available in our region while showing students the exciting educational opportunities in manufacturing at local colleges. For an entire week, camp participants will learn about several areas of manufacturing, including: welding, forest products, construction, electronics/technology and energy.
“Empowering high school students with hands-on experiences in manufacturing not only ignites their passion for innovation, but also opens their eyes to the amazing career opportunities within our region,” says Keisha Hamilton, Program Coordinator at Louisiana Central. “By providing exploratory opportunities, we’re nurturing the next generation of skilled workforce, which is vital for sustaining and advancing the manufacturing sector of our region’s economy.“
Camp participants will tour local manufacturing facilities, participate in hands-on activities, learn about the products created in Central Louisiana, and see how the manufacturing process works in the real world.
Several manufacturing facilities have signed on to sponsor Manufacturing Career Camp 2024 and will be scheduled tour stops. The participating facilities are: AFCO, Boise Cascade, CLECO, P&G, RoyOMartin, Hayes Manufacturing, UTLX, Manchac Technologies, Stella Jones – Alexandria, and Plastipak Packaging.
In addition to local manufacturing companies sponsoring and hosting tours, Louisiana Central is proud to present this year’s camp alongside Central Louisiana Technical Community College.
“CLTCC strives to ensure that Central Louisiana has a strong, skilled workforce,” says Lindsay Green, Vice Chancellor of Workforce and Grant Development at CLTCC’s Alexandria Campus. “With manufacturing being a key economic driver of the region, hosting a Manufacturing Career Camp is imperative to sharing with our local youth the diverse career opportunities right in their own backyard. Whether it be careers focusing on welding, machining, forestry, or electrical skills, this camp allows us to share those career opportunities with our young people.”
“We are grateful for the eagerness of our industry partners and CLTCC for supporting exploratory learning opportunities for area students,” Lafe Jones, Vice President of Louisiana Central said. “A key part of our business retention efforts is establishing workforce initiatives that not only lead people to high paying jobs, but keep our local industry supplied with qualified and trained talent. Local manufacturers offer great career opportunities for area youth to consider, and the demand for a strong manufacturing workforce will increase in future years.”
For more information, contact Program Coordinator, Keisha Hamilton at 318-441-3423 or khamilton@louisiana-central.com.
See attached camp schedule for tour times.
Please contact Marketing and Communications Manager, Britni Lilley, to coordinate media interviews at blilley@louisiana-central.com.
###
About Louisiana Central
Louisiana Central is the regional economic development organization for Central Louisiana. It is a pivotal connector uniting leaders in the region to work together to make Central Louisiana a thriving hub for sustainable economic growth. The organization exists to grow the ten-parish region of Allen, Avoyelles, Catahoula, Concordia, Grant, LaSalle, Natchitoches, Rapides, Vernon, and Winn. To learn more about Louisiana Central visit www.louisiana-central.com.
Follow Louisiana Central’s social media pages to stay up-to-date on all of their initiatives.(Facebook / Instagram)
