GCAMP

The GCAMP 2026 Outstanding Manufacturing Student Awards celebrate more than technical skill—they recognize perseverance, leadership, and a deep commitment to building the future of manufacturing. 

This year’s program showcased an extraordinary group of students whose achievements demonstrate the strength and promise of our regional talent pipeline. From high school labs to college classrooms and real-world shop floors, each applicant represents the innovation, precision, and work ethic that define modern manufacturing.

In celebration of Manufacturing Month, Northern Kane County Region 110 joined forces with the Alignment Collaborative for Education, school districts 300, 301, 303, U-46, the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce Industrial Committee, and the Greater Chicago Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (GCAMP) to spotlight the dynamic manufacturing industry in the Fox Valley region. What began three years ago with a small group of students from St.

The International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS), the largest and longest-running manufacturing technology trade show in the United States, was held September 9–14, at McCormick Place in Chicago. This biennial event is a premier opportunity for industry leaders to explore cutting-edge innovations, engage in professional networking, and participate in a variety of educational workshops.

For the second year in a row, GCAMP hosted summer manufacturing tours for young people in the Chicagoland area. Our 60+ tour participants included students, parents, teachers, and counselors, 

Hampshire High School teacher, Jonathan Weger, knew the right steps to take to make a huge impact with his students this year – give students knowledge, combine it with hands-on experiences, apply it to real-world scenarios, and watch the learning grow. 

GCAMP was thrilled to offer a grant to our friends from High School District 214, the Wildstang Robotics Program.  The Wildstang Robotics Program is made of up two FRC (First Robotics Competition) teams: Team 111 Wildstang and Team 112 Plus One.  Comprising these teams for the 2022-2023 school year were 72 high-school students dedicated to bringing STEM to life. 

In 2009, Gary Skoog, then Director of Economic Development for Hoffman Estates, garnered a group of local business people in and around the areas of Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, and Elk Grove Village. His vision was to have local businesses and educators collaborate to encourage more students to seek opportunities and careers in the manufacturing business. A core group of manufacturing executives welcomed Gary’s initiative, and so the Golden Corridor Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, or GCAMP as it was nicknamed, was launched.

April’s Workforce Strategies Forum centered on helping companies improve their process for hosting student tours.  The forum featured two guest speakers: Katie Sudler of McCormick FONA and Ron Brown of Smith and Richardson Inc., both of whom are famous in our local manufacturing community for consistently wowing students with their facility tours.

GCAMP is a proud 2023 sponsor of various community programs, including several robotics teams.  One of those teams is composed of five middle- school students: the self-dubbed Team Marshmallow Menagerie.