New River Community and Technical College, in collaboration with GEAR UP Southern West Virginia (GEAR UP SWV), is offering FREE career exploration camps this summer for rising 9th and 10th graders in Raleigh, Mercer, Wyoming, Summers, and Monroe Counties. These hands-on, two-day camps provide students with the opportunity to explore different career paths, gain valuable skills, and learn from industry experts. Through this partnership, students will engage in interactive learning experiences designed to spark interest in high-demand fields while having fun and making real-world connections.
Camp Offerings:
West Virginia Adventure (June 4-5) – Raft the upper New River with expert guides while learning about the nature and history of the area, including hydrodynamics and the physics of water. Spend an additional day discussing careers in hospitality and tourism from the catwalk at 876 feet high on the New River Gorge Bridge.
Vital Path (June 9-10) – Your first step toward an exciting and rewarding career in healthcare by engaging in hands-on interactive activities, simulations, and demonstrations led by college instructors to learn how medical fields contribute to patient care.
All Torqued Up! (June 16-17) – Repair high-tech vehicles while being immersed in a hands-on and interactive environment. Students will have the option to change the oil and rotate the tires on their parent’s vehicle.
Sewing with Fire (June 16-17) – Ignite your creativity and spark your future by exploring the world of welding. This hands-on experience will introduce you to the exciting world of using metal for function and art.
Innovators of Tomorrow (June 23-24) – Unlock your potential and dive into the exciting world of robotics! Build, code, and compete with cutting-edge technology as you create robots, solve challenges, and gain valuable skills for the future.
Open to rising 9th and 10th graders from Raleigh, Mercer, Wyoming, Summers, and Monroe Counties, these camps provide a free opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience in different career fields. Lunch is provided, and each student may attend one camp. Applications open on Mar. 17, and interested students can sign up by completing the registration form.
For more information, contact Tammy Mills at 304-929-5471 or tmills@newriver.edu.
GEAR UP stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs and is part of a national grant program funded through the U.S. Department of Education. GEAR UP Southern West Virginia (GEAR UP SWV) is a Concord University program, in partnership with New River Community and Technical College, that helps students graduate from high school and succeed in postsecondary education. GEAR UP SWV is helping the classes of 2028 and 2029 in Mercer, Monroe, Summers, Raleigh, and Wyoming Counties to ensure high school graduation. The program also informs students and families of ways to succeed in a postsecondary education and ways to help fund it. GEAR UP SWV supports teachers, administrators, students, and families on this educational journey.
