Fourteen girls got their hands dirty at Okanagan College乌鸦传媒檚 go-kart camp for girls.

The Girls Can Go-Kart Too! is a camp offering girls in grades 4 through 6 the opportunity to try their hand at designing and constructing their own go-kart.

And on Friday they went head-to-head in a friendly race around the Kelowna campus.

乌鸦传媒淭his camp is a great opportunity for young women to learn and directly apply useful skills in a fun environment,乌鸦传媒� Industry Training Authority CEO Shelley Gray said.

The camp was started in 2018 in partnership with the college and the ITA.

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乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 a hugely enjoyable program for the young women, who we hope will become the skilled trades people of the future.乌鸦传媒�

Led by Okanagan College Red Seal endorsed trades instructors, the campers tried their hand working on small engines, changing oil, patching and replacing tires, testing and fixing breaks and installing ignition kill switches.

乌鸦传媒淟ast year, I saw the girls racing the go-karts in the parking lot and it looked like a lot of fun, so I decided to try it this year,乌鸦传媒� Grade 6 student Skyla Golbey said.

乌鸦传媒淚 haven乌鸦传媒檛 built one before, but my uncle builds cars so I乌鸦传媒檝e been around them a lot,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檝e been learning about all the tools and how an engine works.乌鸦传媒�

Plus, she said, having the knowledge to change a tire will be useful when she gets her driver乌鸦传媒檚 licence.

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Not only is this camp a great way for girls to dip their toes in basic mechanics, but it乌鸦传媒檚 a great way to form connections that may lead to careers in the trades乌鸦传媒攕omething British Columbia is in need of.

The BC Construction Association乌鸦传媒檚 Building Code set a target of 10 per cent of skilled trades jobs be held by women in 2028. To meet that goal, another 9,500 women would have to be onboarded.

乌鸦传媒淭his camp is a great opportunity for young girls to experience what the skilled trades are all about,乌鸦传媒� Okanagan College president Jim Hamilton said. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 great to see how excited they are to get into the shop. We hope their experience at the college sparks an interest that leads them to think about the many career possibilities open to them.乌鸦传媒�

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