Summer Construction Camp Introduces Girls to the Skilled Trades

For 15 years, Camp National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) in Lakeside, Calif., has been providing girls from grades 8 through 12 with the opportunity to learn about trades including carpentry, electrical, and plumbing through hands-on projects. The week-long program enlists help from industry professionals who work with campers on small building projects like constructing miniature homes and wiring solar panels.

The camp started with a roster of around15 girls and has now grown to roughly 100 attendees. According to ABC 10 San Diego, there is already a waiting list to join for next year's camp.

"There’s only about 10 percent of the construction industry that are women and even fewer as tradeswoman at about three percent. Not only do we have a labor shortage, but we have a lack of representation," said Sarah Tull, a trustee for Future Construction Leaders Foundation, the nonprofit that runs the free annual camp.

"It also teaches them about teamwork, leadership, how to speak in front of people, and how to ask questions. We should always be exposing the younger generation to all of the available industries to show them it’s a viable career path,” said Tull.

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