JACKSON, Mich — A summer camp in Jackson is introducing teenage girls to welding, helping to address the gender gap in trades while building skills for future careers.
- The Shop Rat Foundation and Drushal Fabricating have partnered to offer a welding camp for teenage girls in Jackson.
- Local manufacturing companies face challenges finding skilled workers to fill positions.
- The program aims to address the gender disparity in trades and show girls potential career paths in their community.
WATCH: Girls welding camp in Jackson aims to inspire future tradeswomen
Loghan Bradish, one of the camp participants, told me she wants to be a welder someday. "I like the fire and I like being able to make things in my own creation," Bradish says.
She and several other young Jackson girls are learning how to weld through a partnership between the Shop Rat Foundation and Drushal Fabricating. Kelly Kofflin, Executive Director of the Shop Rat Foundation, explained the importance of the program. She says "There is definitely a disparity between female engagement and male engagement with the trades. Thinking about these as opportunities for themselves as future careers, and so we really just want to change that."
Jeff Drushal, owner of Drushal Fabricating, told me the trades workforce is already difficult to fill. "We face problems every day trying to find skilled workers and keep them here," Drushal shares.
However, exposing these teens to trades like welding can lead them to a path they might not have considered. When asked why it's important to spark interest in younger generations through camps like this one, Drushal emphasized the long-term benefits. "I feel like the younger you can get kids to be inspired to work on things, to tinker with things, to build things, by the time they get to the age they're ready to start working. They, for one, will have an advantage, and two, I think it'll keep then more intrigued," Drushal said.
Kofflin says this approach is essential, especially in the Jackson area. "There is just such a need for a skilled workforce. Here in Jackson, we have over 250 manufacturing companies. Making sure that our local youth have an idea of what is available to them in their own backyard as a fantastic future career is really important."
The program is already igniting passion in young minds like Bradish's. "A lot of women are out there doing that, and I kinda wanna be one of the many that are really important women and set an example for others," she says.
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