Lake Area Technical College wants to create new opportunities to show kids the future of manufacturing. One grant will fund camps for the state's next generation to see the dollar signs for themselves.
Lake Area’s advanced manufacturing grant will fund camps for middle and high schoolers interested in manufacturing careers like robotics, welding, and more.
The college received more than $340,000 from the National Science Foundation to fund the grants.
LATC electronic system technology department supervisor Brooks Jacobsen said it’s an opportunity for students to get their hands dirty.
“Mini-maker camps is what we’re calling them," Jacobsen said. "In those camps they’re going to do some hands-on with cobots, mini-C&C (Milling) machines, virtual welding, all our aspects of our different programs here. Trying to get kids into the mindset that manufacturing is a really good career.”
Jacobsen said manufacturing in South Dakota has a bright future.
“We pulled some manufacturing stats just from the state and right now the open jobs in this market are currently more than 1,300 within our programs we are teaching," Jacobsen said. "Then, South Dakota is looking to add an additional 3,500 manufacturing workers by the year 2030 – so not far off.”
And it’s never the same day at the office twice.
“There’s something new all the time. It’s not like the old manufacturing where it’s a repetitive motion all day long," Jacobsen said. "There’s always something new going on, something new to do. As far as working, most of them come in at the bottom-level, systems technician maintenance technician, whatever it is, and we have guys now – alumni - who are vice presidents of automation. There’s always upward momentum these kids can keep going on.”
Jacobsen said the camps will be rolled out to rural and urban schools in the coming months.