Skilled trades summer camp: girls try welding, woodworking and more

Girls between Grades 7 and 9have had a chance to try their hand at the trades at a week-long Skills Ontario summer camp at the Cambridge campus of Conestoga College

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Before this I thought all these sort of things were for boys- AngelaZielke, Grade 9

Throughout the week, about 15 girls tried out woodworking, electrical and even welding.

Skills Ontario runs youth summer camps every summer, but this one was all about exposing girls toskilledtrades.

"There is a shortage of girls in the trades," said Lindsay Chester, liaison officer for Skills Ontario.

"These camps are important because of what they're exposing these youth to, especially these girls."

'It can be a lot of fun and that there'sno restrictions'

"I really love to be able to educate these young women that there is options for them to weld or be in the welding industry, which is considered male dominated, and that it's not scary, it can be a lot of fun and that there'sno restrictions," Morris said.

Morris said it's important to have skilled trades camps that focus on girls because many don't have the opportunity to try something different.

"If today someone leaves saying 'I'd really like to pursue welding', that's fantastic and I'm just as happy if they're saying 'I never want to weld again' because at least they know this is not where they want to go but at least they tried," she said.

For Lauren Pursel and Angela Zielke, who are going into Grade 9 in September, this summer camp has opened their eyesto different job opportunities they can pursue in the future.

"I think it's great that they're showing young girls that there are trades because we're definitely not told about this before, I feel," said Pursel.

"Before this I thought all these sort of things were for boys and that I couldn't do them but now I realize that maybe it's an opportunity in the future," said Zielke.