There’s a new effort underway to develop Caroline County’s homegrown engineering and technical talent. The Advanced Manufacturing Professionals (AMP) program will connect high school students with local manufacturers and other technical and industrial sectors.

What is the purpose of AMP?

AMP is designed to educate students about the career opportunities available in manufacturing, which is Caroline County’s largest employment sector. It also allows businesses to build relationships with students who have strong potential for future employment. The ultimate goal of AMP is to provide Caroline’s brightest students with a career pathway that leads them to our own local employers.

Who’s participating in AMP?

The AMP program is open to top pre-engineering and technical students at each of the county’s high schools. Students are nominated by their teachers and must meet attendance requirements and show genuine commitment to their future careers. On the business side, six Caroline companies have expressed interest in participating in AMP thus far.

How does AMP work?

AMP kicks off with a visit to several local manufacturers. At the first stop, students get a broad overview of the manufacturing industry and learn about the types of careers available. They then learn more about the specific companies they will be visiting that day. After that, the students tour the companies’ plants and interact with their engineering and technical employees.

After students have completed the tours, they can apply for internships with companies participating in AMP. If the companies’ business needs and resources allow, they bring on interns to work half days during the school year and/or full time in the summer.

The first group of AMP students will be visiting manufacturers in January 2014.