On Wednesday, June 24, 2026, female high school students at Orange Technical College, West Campus, built planter boxes and wired light switches. This practical engagement through a girls construction camp directly challenges traditional career paths, inspiring young women toward skilled trades. The camp provides a hands-on introduction to construction and engineering, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
While many young women are encouraged towards traditional college degrees, camps like Garney demonstrate that skilled trades offer equally meaningful and accessible career paths.
Based on immediate, hands-on engagement and explicit career guidance, these camps appear likely to significantly increase female participation and confidence in skilled trades, potentially reshaping workforce demographics.
- Girls ages 10 to 17 are introduced to construction, electrical work, engineering, and other skilled trades, according to Business Journal Daily.
- The electrical curriculum included basic wiring with a residential light switch, outlet, and light, according to Business Journal Daily.
- Shelly Higgins, founder of LBCC Camp, emphasizes skilled trades as a viable alternative to college for a meaningful career, according to Business Journal Daily.
- Ahren Peplow, training director at Youngstown Area Electrical JATC, noted the camp builds confidence by showing girls they "can do hard things," even outside the trades, according to Business Journal Daily.
- Female high school students explore construction and engineering careers through these camps, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
- Daily construction projects, such as building a planter box, engage campers, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Building Skills and Confidence
The camp introduces girls aged 10 to 17 to various fields, including construction, electrical work, and engineering, according to Business Journal Daily. This broad exposure starts young, potentially before traditional career path biases solidify. One practical skill taught involves basic wiring for a residential light switch, outlet, and light.
Shelly Higgins, founder of LBCC Camp, states that skilled trades present a viable alternative to college for a meaningful career. The program aims to equip young women with tangible skills and a clear understanding of accessible career options. Ahren Peplow, training director at Youngstown Area Electrical JATC, added that the camp’s value extends beyond vocational training, showing girls they "can do hard things" regardless of their ultimate career choice.
By introducing basic wiring and construction projects to girls as young as 10, these camps are not just offering career exposure. They actively pre-empt gendered career biases before they fully form, effectively rewiring perceptions from a young age. The emphasis on proving girls "can do hard things" reveals construction camps are delivering a dual benefit: empowering young women with self-efficacy while simultaneously presenting viable, hands-on career alternatives to traditional college paths.
While Business Journal Daily specifies that the camp introduces girls ages 10 to 17 to various skilled trades, the Orlando Sentinel focuses on "female high school students" exploring construction and engineering careers. This difference suggests a potential variation in the primary target demographic or the specific breadth of trades covered, indicating the scope might be narrower for some participants than initially suggested. However, both sources confirm a focus on hands-on learning.
The camps operate within a broader push to diversify the skilled trades workforce. They challenge long-standing gender stereotypes that have historically limited women's participation in fields like construction and electrical work. The programs aim to normalize these careers for young women, presenting them as accessible and rewarding paths.
The success of initiatives like the Garney construction camp in 2026 suggests a sustained effort could significantly increase female representation in trades. Shelly Higgins, founder of LBCC Camp, stated that skilled trades are a viable alternative to college for a meaningful career, a message that gains traction as more girls experience these hands-on opportunities.
