CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A free summer camp is giving high school girls hands-on experience in construction skills like welding and electrical work, aiming to increase female representation in the industry.
Bechtel and the Craft Training Center are hosting "Camp Build It" as part of Bechtel's support for the Million Women in Construction initiative.
"I think the only issue is, they don't know about it. So it really needs to be brought to them like hey look there's these things out there that you can do to get you in it," Aryn said.
Students and instructors agree that exposure, not capability, is what's holding girls back in the construction industry.
Olivia, one of the youngest participants in the program, encourages other girls to take advantage of the opportunity.
"If you have the chance take it. Because you never know what's gonna come out of it," Olivia said.
Rosalia Zepeda, a welder who was once the only woman on her team, believes the camp gives girls a chance to discover new interests.
"I think it's good that they get to experience this and see a different world. They get to come in and say 'Hey I like this. This is fun,'" Zepeda said.
The camp's core message is clear: girls are more than capable of securing their place in the construction industry.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
