Hunterdon County Vocational School District’s EXCITE Summer Camp offers a range of opportunities for middle school-aged students to explore a career area. Past campers engage in hands-on learning activities in their camps of choice, including “Healthcare Fundamentals,” “Junior Iron Chef,” “NextGen Builders” and “Pit Crew.” – PROVIDED BY HUNTERDON COUNTY VOCATIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
New Jersey middle schoolers can get a jumpstart on their futures this summer. Throughout the state, county vocational-technical schools offer engaging summer camps that encourage youth to begin exploring career options. Such camps offer age-appropriate and meaningful summer experiences for teens and pre-teens.
The hope for participants is that they start looking into careers early to discover their passions and talents. An early start means they have a greater likelihood of moving forward in their education with purpose, so they never find themselves well into a degree program or settled into a career still wondering, “What do I want to be when I grow up?”
Let’s start in South Jersey, where Christine Datz, director of secondary education for Gloucester County Institute of Technology, says “Our summer camps are first and foremost about introducing young participants to careers.”
Middle school students test careers during the Gloucester County Institute of Technology’s Summer Exploration Program. Programs range from Baking and Pastry Arts to Cosmetology and “Spark It Up” for future welders. The summer 2026 session list has something for every interest. Photo provided by GCIT
GCIT’s Summer Exploration 2026 runs July 6–30 and offers rising seventh- and eighth-grade students a wide variety of weeklong course options. Topics range from “Transplant Team,” which shares the science behind organ transplants and introduces careers in health care, to “Lights, Camera, Create,” which challenges students to tell a visual story using video production equipment. Some courses, such as “Cosmetology Beauty Exploration,” cover a different topic each week, meaning students may opt to enroll in the same course for multiple weeks.
“We encourage participants to spend as much time as they want with us over the summer to sample a few different career areas,” Datz said. “They can come for one week or all four if they are interested in different topics. They can come for an a.m. or p.m. session or both if they wish to spend the day with us and take two different courses daily.”
Educational…and fun
Datz continued, “Our teachers go above and beyond to put these summer courses together and ensure they are not only educational, but also fun. We want participants to get in here and work with their hands to understand what it is like to be a professional in the career area they choose.”
Datz explained if students leave with clearer goals for the future, then GCIT becomes an option for them to make the most out of their high school experience.
Middle school students test careers during the Gloucester County Institute of Technology’s Summer Exploration Program. Programs range from Baking and Pastry Arts to Cosmetology and “Spark It Up” for future welders. The summer 2026 session list has something for every interest. Photo provided by GCIT
This summer, GCIT will extend an invitation to all campers to spend a day in August at Rowan College of South Jersey, located adjacent to the high school. Datz said this opportunity offers yet another chance for young students to learn about options to further their education and directly prepare for their future careers.
Return Campers
Up north, Hunterdon County Vocational School District has built a reputation for having happy campers, creating a growing demand for its summer programs.
“We initially announce our EXCITE Summer Camp registration each year to former campers and their families, and we get an overwhelming response to that first outreach,” said Hannah Perfetti, marketing coordinator for HCVSD. “That reflects how engaging our programs are for this age group and the value families see in them, with many campers returning year after year.”
Hunterdon County Vocational School District’s EXCITE Summer Camp runs from July 13–17 for rising sixth through ninth graders with 10 offerings to choose from. – PROVIDED BY HUNTERDON COUNTY VOCATIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
HCVSD’s EXCITE Summer Camp runs this summer from July 13–17 for rising sixth through ninth graders with 10 offerings to choose from, including “NextGen Builders,” which introduces construction trades, and “Homeland Heroes,” which walks participants through crime scene simulations and examines careers that protect our communities. New this year, EXCITE is offering Dance and Theatre summer programs at South Hunterdon Regional High School –home to HCVSD’s School of Performing Arts, starting this fall. Those programs run a week earlier, July 6–10.
“Our summer programming introduces students to careers across various industries, so we are excited to introduce Dance and Theatre ahead of the official launch of HCVSD’s four-year program centered around the arts,” added Perfetti.
Enrollment for EXCITE is online for the first time. Visit polytech.hcvsd.org/excitecamp. Programs are filling up fast.v
“The camp is something students and their parents appreciate, but we also benefit by getting to show off our incredible career classrooms, especially our brand-new professional kitchen for our culinary students,” said Dr. Todd Bonsall, superintendent. “We hope our campers become inspired by not only what they are learning, but how they are learning and better understand what career and technical education is all about.”
Around the state
Peruse the selection below and check with your local county vocational-technical school for additional summer camp options.
Bergen County Technical Schools
- Eligibility: rising 6th through 8th graders
- Location: Bergen Makerspace, Hackensack
In partnership with local school districts, provides a summer enrichment program encouraging career exploration in areas such as Biotechnology, Economics, Finance, and Pharmaceuticals. Summer programs also provide integrated instruction in mathematics and writing. Students work in state-of-the-art labs and engage in hands-on learning activities.
Camden County Technical Schools
- Eligibility: rising 7th and 8th graders
- Locations: CCTS Gloucester Township and Pennsauken campuses
Offers 20 career and sports camps, with options to choose a different topic each week. Career camps include Advanced Manufacturing, Concept Art, Digital Media, Electric, Jr. Chef, Performing Arts, STEM, and more.
Cape May County Technical School District
- Eligibility: ages 9–14
- Location: Cape Tech, Cape May Court House
Hands-on adventure camps to introduce students to a range of careers, including Carpentry, Cosmetology, Crime Scene Investigation, Culinary, Mechanics, Robotics, TV, and Veterinary Science. Can’t choose just one? Students have the option to attend both weeks to dive into two different career programs.
Gloucester County Institute of Technology
- Eligibility: rising 7th and 8th graders
- Location: GCIT, Sewell
Provides a range of programs to have fun while learning more about a career and developing new technical and professional skills. From the Transplant Team program that explores medical careers to the Nailed It carpentry program, nearly 30 different options are available. Participants may choose to attend an a.m. or p.m. session, or both if more than one program is appealing. Each program is four-days long; offerings span four different weeks throughout the summer.
Hunterdon County Vocational School District
- Eligibility: rising 6th through 9th graders
- Locations: HCVSD Central and North campuses; Dance & Theatre at South Hunterdon High
One-week EXCITE Camp offers hands-on exploration of career pathways led by instructors with significant industry experience, including Allied Health, Automotive Technology, Computer Networking, Construction, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Early Childhood Education, Law Enforcement and Homeland Security, Studio and Digital Arts, and Welding. New camps in Dance and Theatre will run this summer and help launch HCVSD’s new School of Performing Arts, which will open with its first class of high school students this fall.
Mercer County Technical Schools
- Eligibility: rising 6th through 8th graders
- Locations: Sypek Campus in Pennington and Assunpink Campus in Trenton
Offers high-octane, hands-on career exploration from the high-tech world of Coding and Robotics to the raw discovery of Eco Venture and Biology Blast.
Monmouth County Vocational School District
- Eligibility: rising 6th through 12th graders
- Locations: MCVSD campuses throughout Monmouth County
One-week summer camps on a wide range of topics, including Automotive Basics, College Essay Writing, Creative Writing, Culinary Arts, Engineering, Marine Science, Video Game Design, and much more. Students choose to explore a career interest, develop a passion, or hone an important skill for college or career success.
Ocean County Vocational Technical School
- Eligibility: Culinary Camp ages 12–15; Performance Workshops rising 6th through 11th graders; MATES STEM rising 8th and 9th graders
- Locations: OCVTS’ Brick Center; Grunin Performing Arts Academy (GPAA) in Toms River; Marine Academy of Technology (MATES) in Manahawkin
Three camps will cover the areas of Culinary Arts, Performing Arts/Audio Engineering, and Marine Science/STEM in July and August. Participants have the opportunity to explore a passion and develop technical skills alongside peers who have similar interests.
This article originally appeared April 27, 2026 in NJBIZ. It is authored by Jackie Burke, executive director of the New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools.
