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This is Work: Welcome to Camp

I am fortunate to live in a state with a ton of historical sites just a stone’s throw away. One of my hiking adventures took me to a little-known state park called Camp Columbia, in Morris, CT. Besides the hiking, this current state park has a history tied to work. The park was once owned by Columbia University, and it was where engineering students once visited in the summer months practice land surveying in the 1800’s and military training during the World War I years. A much more robust explanation of the history can be found on the state’s website at https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/State-Parks/Parks/Camp-Columbia-State-Park-Forest. Columbia University has long since left property, having trained many students in the skills needed for their jobs and now it is a place of recreation for state residents.


How interesting to visit a place where people once learned the skills necessary for work. The park was a camp for the University and not a traditional classroom. This summer camp trained the future workforce. When I stop and think about many places actually train people in skills it really is unbelievable. There are academies for police, fire departments, and military units. Besides the traditional classroom, some people may be learning right in front of us, and we may not even know it.  There are trainees for healthcare occupations in hospitals working alongside the paid professionals already trained to provide care. This is workforce development at its finest.

To get all of those fresh faces to an occupation trained are seasoned workers and experts in their field, working to show the next generation of trades people, hairdressers, medical professionals, land surveyors, and even office workers how to do the job. Although many times we not call every work based learning experience an official apprenticeship, many experiences mimic the rigor of the job with hands on experience and real life scenarios. This is work for many people who train and educate to keep the institutions we use and need everyday up and running for all those who teach and may not be called “teacher.” #thisiswork


 ~Karen Cirincione

Email: kcirincione@gmail.com        

Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/karenjcirincione

Twitter: @kcirincione 

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