{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Educast 3000","title":"Short Circuit: How a Virginia Community College Built an Energy Career Camp for Teens","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1453,"description":"Host Ryan Lufkin and co-host Jody Sailor are joined by Steven Olinger and Joe Godsey, faculty in the Business, Engineering, and Industrial Technology division at Southwest Virginia Community College. Earlier this year, the college won a nearly $500,000 SPARK grant from the Virginia Department of Energy, and this summer Olinger and Godsey ran its first five-week energy career camp for students ages 14 to 17. They talk with Ryan and Jody about fitting eight certifications into one summer, holding teenagers’ attention in the middle of summer break, and why the snack cart made it into their advice for any other colleges trying to spin up similar programs. \nIn this episode:\nOlinger’s path from a family of machinists to the classroom, and Godsey’s 10 years as a design engineer\nWhy the camp teaches one certification at a time\nMaking safety training stick with a 15-year-old, using harnesses, ladders, and safety data sheets\nJobs students didn’t know existed, and didn’t know they could do without leaving home\nWorking lunches with local employers and the college’s advisory committees\nCredit for prior learning and what five weeks on campus means for first-generation students\nWhat they’d change next summer, and their advice for colleges building something similar\nFor further reading: \nSPARK Energy Career Summer Camp, Southwest Virginia Community College: https://www.sw.edu/summercamps/spark-energy-career-summer-camp.html\n\"Southwest Awarded Spark Grant\" (college news release): https://www.sw.edu/news/2026/02/southwest-awarded-spark-grant.html","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/DDODfSdXU3WxmelLdCXwpuyR1UVMaBJBT4P69rKbN2g/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8yZTNm/ZDNkMGI4YjhiMDU0/YzQ4OTYwZGY3Y2M0/NjUyMy5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}