PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Dozens of young girls in Pinellas County got a glimpse into different skilled trades on Tuesday, breaking down stereotypes and offering new opportunities to students.
Katie Marshall’s enthusiasm for her job is off the charts. She’s a Pinellas Technical College student with a focus in automotive.
“I love hearing the engine roar when I fix something, and I did that, like I did that,” Marshall said.
WATCH: Girls get hands-on experience in skilled trades at Jill of All Trades Day
It’s that passion she hopes catches on with a group of young girls she volunteered with on Tuesday.
“I want to show other girls like you can do it too,” said Marshall.
About 55 middle school-aged girls got hands-on experience in skilled trades like welding, electricity and automotive repair.
It’s part of the first Jill of All Trades Day at Pinellas Technical College-Clearwater.
“I just wanted to learn how you could do all these types of cool things,” said 11-year-old Cora Sackett.
The group learned a lot in a short time and left inspired to try something new.
“If they want to do it, I feel like they can,” said 14-year-old Chloe Mirlenbrink. “It’s not just a man’s job.”
“This allows them to actually think about their future career in a completely different way than they may have thought about before,” said Dr. Jake Prokop, the director of Pinellas Technical College-Clearwater Campus.
The workshops helped empower young girls to look into other career options that are often more male-dominated.
“If you have just one type of person doing the same thing, you’re probably not going to get a whole lot of new ideas, so this opens up a lot of opportunities, not only for the participants but also for our employers to say what’s another way that we can support our community,” said Prokop.
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