ELLSWORTH - HCTC’s ‘Career Exploration Camp’ returned for another awesome week this summer!
From Monday, July 14 through Friday, July 18 middle schoolers from all over Hancock County had a blast touring a ton of local business partners. Each trip was tied to HCTC programs, with each experience introducing the kids to a different future career opportunity- especially if they choose HCTC. Kids came from Bucksport, Ellsworth, Surrey, MDI and more and traveled to businesses from Bar Harbor to Bangor and all in between!
On Day 1 of camp, students visited the New England School of Communications in Bangor on the campus of Husson University, supporting our Multimedia program! In the afternoon, our campers headed to Darling’s Ford where they got a behind the scenes look at everything from the workshops to the business-side of things! This was tied to our Automotive, Diesel, Welding and Business programs.
Day 2 took the kids to Jackson Laboratories in Bar Harbor, getting to see all of the work going on there for our future Biomedical Sciences and Health Occupations students. The camp checked out another Business-related trip in the afternoon when they went to Timber Tina’s Great Maine Lumberjack show!
On Day 3, campers stayed local, checking out Franklin Savings Bank in Ellsworth for our Business students and then the Lincoln Farmstand for our Culinary program! In the afternoon, camp trekked out to Washington County Community College for a ton of fun activities- their simulators, aquaculture room, and they had some fun with the game warden, as well! This was tied to our Multimedia, Biomedical Science, and Criminal Justice programs.
The group headed back to Bangor on Day 4 for a packed day. They started at the Army National Guard Base and had some Field Medic training, and even got to check out some of their aircrafts! This helped our prospective Health Occupations students. After lunch at the Cross Insurance Center, camp spent the rest of the day there getting a tour of all the fun stuff they offer, helping out our Business Leadership & Hospitality program!
Finally, Day 5 was another fun one. Camp started at the Bar Harbor Inn, learning from the staff there and getting a presentation, a tour, and even taking part in some friendly competition! This was great for our Business Leadership & Hospitality, Culinary, and Arts programs. After lunch at Wild Acadia Fun Park, we took the rest of the day to unwind and have a blast in their waterpark!
All in all, it was another awesome Career Exploration Camp for everyone involved. HCTC Director Bill Tracy says our great partnerships with local businesses are what makes this trip happen each summer- and we can’t thank them enough as well as anyone else who played a role in another great week of camp! Coming up next- the first day of school!