By Austin Johnson

The Ironton Tribune

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, hosted a news conference call on Wednesday as he partners with Ohio businesses, educators, and community leaders for the eighth straight year to host summer manufacturing camps to help young Ohioans learn about manufacturing jobs available in Ohio.

Every summer, Brown partners with Ohio businesses, educators, and community leaders to help young Ohioans learn about manufacturing jobs available in Ohio.

Due to COVID-19, this year, Brown’s office helped organize virtual manufacturing camps so that students would still be able to learn about manufacturing safely and remotely.

Brown was joined on the call by Ralf Urbach, director of Education and Outreach for OH WOW! in Youngstown.

“OH WOW! continues to strive to be a pipeline for children’s futures in manufacturing  positions specifically through Summer Manufacturing Camps and all of the collaborations of past, present and camps to come,” Urbach said.

Last year, Brown’s office hosted 27 camps in 20 counties. This year, Brown’s office is set to host four virtual camps in three counties.

“This pandemic is proving how crucial STEM skills are to the future of our economy, and campers can learn about many of those skills without ever leaving their living rooms,” Brown said.

He said these summer manufacturing camps help introduce kids and their parents to an up-to-date, real-world understanding of American manufacturing.

This summer, camps are scheduled to take place in Knox, Richland and Mahoning Counties. The camps are open to boys and girls. The ages or grades for each camp are determined by local organizers.