On Friday, VPI, Inc. will graduate 16 students from NBT Inclusion Manufacturing Camp. The 4-week inclusive manufacturing summer camp, in partnership with Nuts, Bolts, & Thingamajigs Foundation (NBT), is designed to help train and prepare young adults with disabilities for employment in manufacturing, while also showing local employers that this group of individuals is a viable option to meet their workforce demands.
As employers look to be more creative with ways to fill their workforce needs and close skills gaps, training individuals with disabilities to do these jobs is a viable option. During the camp, VPI staff facilitated interactive activities designed to improve “soft” skills, help individuals gain confidence in their abilities, and explore careers in various manufacturing environments.
Campers participated in paid work experiences on a variety of VPI production lines to develop the “hard” skills needed for these manufacturing jobs and toured local manufacturing facilities including J.J. Keller, Pierce Manufacturing, Great Northern Corporation, and 4imprint to learn about the wide variety of industries and jobs in manufacturing.
“Some campers now feel empowered to look people in eye, advocate for themselves, or know how to articulate their concerns at work. They feel confident that they can do a job and do it well. For others, it might spark a passion in manufacturing and completely change their perspective on future careers and goals” said Kaitlin Gassner, VPI, Inc. education programs coordinator.
As they prepare for graduation, students will have the opportunity to meet staff from NBT, camp funders, during a visit on Wednesday.
VPI invites the media to interview the camp funders (NBT), VPI employees, and the campers on 8/21 at 9:30, and to graduation on 8/23 at 11:00 a.m., both at VPI’s Kensington Production Facility, located at 110 N Kensington Dr. Appleton, WI 54915.
Please contact Allie Lucht at (920) 312-3180 for more information.
VPI’s mission is to promote the dignity and worth of individuals who have disabilities or are disadvantaged and to assist them in developing their optimum level of social, vocational, and economic independence in the community.
VPI, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization provides a variety of community programs and services – including education, early intervention, employment, mental health, and social and recreational services, and packaging solutions to the Fox Cities and surrounding areas. By providing efficient contract packaging and production services to private industry with an integrated workforce, VPI has been able to deliver community programing and services to support the changing needs of community members with disabilities or disadvantages.
