Fairfield County Summer Career Exploration Camp

About the Program

Category: Children and Youth

Year: 2023

Fairfield County, like most of the country, is facing a worker shortage. The three most critical industries facing this shortage in the county are healthcare, manufacturing, and skilled trades. The county has made efforts in many areas to connect high school students to local employers and provide training for careers in these industries. Due to a lack of interest in these jobs despite previous efforts, Fairfield County created a summer camp career exploration program for junior high school students to introduce them to these promising career paths.

In partnership with Hocking College and Ohio University, Fairfield County Economic and Workforce Development created summer camp programs called Healthcare Heroes, Totally Techbot, and Mad Science Builders. These weeklong camps included hands-on, brains-on learning for junior high students from the eight school districts throughout the county. More than 90 kids participated in the camps. The camps were held at the Fairfield County Workforce Center, which was opened in 2021. The camps were free to any Fairfield County student to allow for families to participate regardless of income. The program received very positive feedback from the community and included a chance for parents to attend the last day of camp and observe what the students had learned. It was also a chance for Economic and Workforce Development staff to get in front of parents to discuss career-based learning opportunities for students as they enter high school. The program is being expanded to increase enrollment and further involve the local school districts.