Manufacturing and technology form a portion of industry and economic impact in northeast Arkansas.“This is a way to introduce students who are our future workforce in Jonesboro to what is available here. A lot of people don’t even understand we have a lot of this here,” Shelle Randall, director of workforce development at Jonesboro Unlimited and vice president of administration for the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce, said.
Before arriving on the floor, campers don lab coats and safety glasses. They receive VIP treatment at technology and manufacturing plants like Frito-Lay and Unilever. “I feel like Frito-Lay when we got to try out all the different chips, and then I really liked how when we went to Nice Pak we got to go in the back and see how baby wipes and stuff are getting packaged into the boxes,” Kelems said.Kelems said she wanted to be part of the camp due to her curiosity. She said it’s been fun and eye-opening seeing the possibilities that await her.