LIMA, OH (WLIO) - This week, local elementary and middle school students have the opportunity to learn about careers offered by local manufacturers and to expand their knowledge of STEM education.
The Bradfield Community Center is hosting the GenNext Makers Camp to help prepare kids for their future beyond high school. Each day, different Lima businesses or manufacturers will speak with the group, including the Lima Fire Department and Procter & Gamble, and they will carry out STEM-related activities. In the afternoons, the participants will visit locations such as Rhodes State College, Mercy Health-St. Rita's Medical Center, Cenovus Energy, and more to learn about jobs available through them.
"This week, our goals really are for our youth to see the variety of different careers that are in our area; how science, technology, engineering, and manufacturing, mathematics all play into these careers; and what's available here for them. Whether it's a job that we can walk into after high school or if we need further education with college or something — so just the exposure to different careers," stated Amber Martin, Lima Workforce and Small Business Development.
This is the first year the camp has been held. Senator Sherrod Brown's office partnered with the City of Lima to start the program, which Martin hopes will continue into the future.
