Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
A group of Salem students spent part of their summer building job skills and exploring career paths, thanks to a new initiative called Forge the Future Camp.
The four-week program was developed by Salem City Schools in partnership with SparkForce and The FMS Foundation, with funding provided through a SparkForce grant. The camp was a collaborative effort involving the Greater Roanoke Workforce Development Board and seven local manufacturing partners: Aero Steel, Appalachian Power, Integer, Wabtec Graham White, Altec, Mersen and New Millennium Steel.
The camp kicked off with two weeks of classroom-based training focused on workplace readiness, safety instruction and employer visits. Students then transitioned into two weeks of hands-on job experience at the participating manufacturing sites.
The program concluded with a celebration and awards ceremony honoring the students and employer partners.
Students placed with each partner included:
- Integer: Jackson Nelson and Calvin Pickrel
- Appalachian Power: Trey McCoy and Chloe Dow
- Alro: Jacob Moran and Ethan Woods
- Wabtec Graham White: Anderson Semones, Jakar Nelson and Ryan Young
Organizers said the goal of the program was to expose students to real-world career opportunities while helping them develop valuable workplace skills that could lead to long-term employment.
