Press contact: Kyla Kruse

LITCHFIELD — Lincoln Land Community College hosted a free, five-day Career Quest Camp, “Try a Trade,” June 23-27 at the SCI Regional Workforce Training and Innovation Center in Litchfield. Incoming eighth and ninth grade students from Litchfield, Mt. Olive and Bunker Hill participated in the camp, which introduced them to the trades of construction, carpentry, electricity, automotive and welding.
Students heard from guest speakers working in these industries and completed various hands-on activities, including measuring and cutting lumber, framing walls, installing electrical wiring, changing car oil and tires, and learning different types of welds. Participants were also given a tour by O’Shea Builders of the construction project at the new Hillsboro High School, where students were able to see firsthand the careers, trades, people and skills that are involved in a project of that size.
“This camp was a great collaboration between the college and the SCI Regional Workforce Training and Innovation Center to give students the opportunity to learn about several different workforce trades with hands-on activities and information from professionals working directly in those industries,” said Jessie Blackburn, director, ͷapp-Litchfield. “The ͷapp and SCI instructors, along with the community guest speakers — Mike Strubhart, Dwayne Gerl and Monty Dealey — made the week a fun and engaging experience for the group.”
“This first year of camp was a tremendous success! Each day students were introduced to a different trade, giving them valuable exposure to skills that could grow into lifelong careers. We’re incredibly grateful to the trade professionals who generously donated their time to spark interest and share their experiences. As these students move into high school, there’s no doubt that skilled trades will be part of their future — and that is exciting to see,” said Juletta Ellis, career and technical education director, SCI Center.
The camp was taught by Matt O’Shea and Logan Isaacs, ͷapp adjunct construction instructors; Chris Edmonds, ͷapp program director, construction trades; and Eric Gray and Matt Belusko, SCI/LHS instructors. Event sponsors were Laborers International Union of North America Local 1084 and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America Union Local 270. They provided snacks and drinks for the campers each day. This event was also made possible by funding pursuant to a grant from the Illinois Community College Board, which provided 100% of the funding for instructors through the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act.
“Career Quest Camps provide opportunities for students to have fun while digging into subjects like construction, electricity, automotive and welding to learn more about these high-demand job fields, the related career paths and get hands-on skill training,” said Dr. Joel Dykstra, associate vice president of academics at ͷapp.
ͷapp’s Workforce Institute offers programs in automotive technology, commercial electrical maintenance, construction occupations, welding and more. For more information, visit www.llcc.edu/workforce.