Girls across Saskatchewan are discovering their inner tradesperson through a unique summer experience that blends creativity, confidence and career exploration. The Girls Exploring Trades and Technology (GETT) program offers 12 to 15-year-old girls a five-day camp experience allowing them to explore different trades.

Oyin Ogunjimi is a participant in GETT and says she wasn’t sure what she was interested in until taking part in the camp. “This week I discovered that I really want to be an engineer. We got to go to SaskPower and learn different things and I think I am really interested in the trades now.”

SaskPower GETT camps, organized and hosted by Saskatchewan Polytechnic, offer the girls in grades six to eight a hands-on introduction to careers in trades and technology. The week-long camps are designed to break down gender stereotypes and build skills in a supportive, mostly female environment and are offered at Moose Jaw, Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert campuses.

GETT camps are held throughout the summer. In Moose Jaw, welding is the focus with the campers crafting a set of metal dice. In Regina, they are in the machining shop making their own hammer and in Saskatoon and Prince Albert they build wooden chests in the carpentry shop. All the campers learn how to safely use tools and equipment.

Allison Zerr, program head for Women in Trades and Technology (WITT) powered by Orano says there’s been a stigma about women in trades in the past. “We’ve created a camp to showcase to these young girls that women are in these positions and are successful and thriving. Now these young girls can build on their confidence and see women who do very well.”

The GETT camp is a pre-curser to the Jill of All Trades program that is offered to high school girls because GETT is aimed at middle schoolers, which allows for the students see what they enjoy allowing them to focus on pursuing that trade in high school.