For the seventh year in a row, Alabama Power has teamed up with Go Build Alabama to organize camps for high school girls to introduce them to careers in construction and the skilled trades. The Girls CAN Construction Camps team industry professionals with girls who have just completed 9th, 10th, or 11th grade for a week of hands-on training in fields such as electrical wiring, carpentry, welding, and computer drafting and design. The purpose of these camps is to inspire young women to consider pursuing careers in these much-needed professions which have been traditionally filled by men.
In the video below, Sherri Jackson with WIAT 42 News in Birmingham, Alabama reports on the camp being held this week about a half hour south of Birmingham in Calera, Alabama. She interviews camp director Tom McNeal of Alabama Power who says:
“A big thing for Alabama right now is economic development, and many of the companies and industries that we are trying to bring in need skilled trade workers [who are] paid good wages. This is a great chance to show [the students] the options that exist in the construction and skilled trades industry and to see if this might be something they would be interested in.”
Frank Couch of the online news site AL.com included several great photos from the camp in Columbiana, Alabama in an article where he also interviewed McNeal. Couch writes:
“McNeal said instructors are often surprised with how quickly projects are completed. ‘From my experience with these camps the girls listen, pay attention to details and work together as a team’, he said. Earlier in the week the group finished a carpentry project about 2 hours ahead of schedule."
Over the years, the Girls CAN camps have been held in various locations throughout Alabama. The camps are supported by local businesses and are generally attended by 10 to 20 high school girls each.
You can watch Jackson’s report in the one-minute video below.
