Did you go to summer camp? What did you do there. Swim, run, develop crushes on boys…probably. What about repair a truck? Or install cable? Probably not, right. That is unless you’re going to the camp for girls at Dakota County Technical College. You see, DCTC is pioneering in the world of non-traditional jobs for women. I was first introduced to them when I worked for WomenVenture in St. Paul, Minnesota, and our organization partnered with DCTC on our “Women in the Trades” Program. DCTC instructors were instrumental in teaching women in fields like engineering, energy process, computer science, auto mechanics, and more fields that are normally dominated by men.
Today, DCTC is going a step further with a camp for young women. The Pioneer Press reported about the camp recently in “Girls Try Out Male-Dominated Careers.“
Over five days, girls from across the Twin Cities got to work as an auto mechanic, a cable installer, an electrician, and a host of other jobs — roughly 30 in all. After last year, word of mouth was pretty much all it took to sign up 200 attendees. This year, Comcast and NBC Universal helped fund the camp. Dakota Tech uses faculty members for most of the programming, and for a $40 fee the girls spend the week bouncing from job to job.
Our applause goes out to DCTC and for these incredible girls for participating in the camp and learning more about careers they might not otherwise consider in their career path. You go, girls!
About the Author: Marcy Twete
Marcy Twete is the Founder and CEO of Career Girl Network and the author of the book “You Know Everybody! A Career Girl’s Guide to Building a Network That Works.” At Career Girl Network, Marcy provides women with information, resources, and networking to empower them in their careers and to advance the work of women in business as a whole. Prior to launching Career Girl Network, Marcy worked in numerous nonprofit organizations and as a consultant in the field of nonprofit fundraising, marketing, and community relations. Marcy is a graduate of the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota, and a native of rural North Dakota. She is the Vice Chair of the Chicago Board of Directors for Step Up Women’s Network in Chicago and a member of the Advisory Board for Girls on the Run Twin Cities, and is dedicated to advancing the work of organizations that move the needle for women and girls worldwide.
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