Clark State College will hold an Engineering Summer Festival from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, July 29 at Shull Hall on the main campus in Springfield.
By attending the Engineering Summer Festival, students can meet the engineering faculty, network with new and current engineering students, receive assistance with scheduling, financial aid, and other student services, and most importantly, celebrate the accomplishments of the Clark State Metallica Scholars. In addition, there will be food trucks, music, bouncy houses, and many more fun activities. Family and friends are welcome.
“We hope to see folks from all our service community represented, of all ages and educational backgrounds,” said Dr. J. Nickey Brown, assistant professor of manufacturing technology management at Clark State. “This is a family friendly community event for anyone curious about robotics, automation, manufacturing, and welding. We can't wait to inspire the next generation of engineers!”
Brown said the goal is to celebrate the Metallica Scholars for completing their welding certificate in one year and to create an opportunity for new and prospective students to apply to the college, meet faculty, tour the classrooms and labs, and network with each other.
“We want to open our doors to those who aren't familiar with some of the new technology and programs we have starting in the fall,” she said. “Clark State is in a great position to meet the needs of our local and national industries. With the help of H1B and Workforce Grant funding, students will be able to apply for scholarships and grant towards in-demand programs such as welding, CNC machining, and the new laser material processing certificates.”
Clark State was selected from a competitive field of community colleges across the country to receive $100,000 to transform the future of students in the community.
Since establishing the Metallica Scholars Initiative in 2019, All Within My Hands (AWMH) has been working with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) to provide direct support for career and technical education programs across the US. Having grown from a concept to a thriving educational strategy that focuses on enhancing skills while providing services to students looking to enter a traditional trade or other applied learning program, the Metallica Scholars Initiative has generated a proven and measurable impact.
“Our goal for the Metallica Scholars Initiative is to shine a light on workforce education and support the next generation of tradespeople,” said Pete Delgrosso, Executive Director, All Within My Hands. “With the addition of the 2022-2023 Metallica Scholars program, our grants will reach over 2,000 men and women in 32 community colleges across 27 states. We are honored to support these students of all ages and backgrounds and look forward to growing the program even further in the future.”
The Clark State Metallica Scholarship application is now open for students to enroll in the fall 2023 semester. Scholarships will cover tuition, books, materials, and experience with state-of-the-art equipment for students to obtain a welding certificate. A welding certificate can be earned within two semesters and is stackable with an associate degree in manufacturing engineering technologies and a bachelor’s degree, both offered at Clark State.
The Metallica Scholars application is available online at: https://bit.ly/MetallicaScholarsApplication
An RSVP is requested by July 24 for those interested in attending the Engineering Summer Fest. Please RSVP at: https://bit.ly/EngineeringSummerFest