COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — Educators in Southern Colorado are hoping to encourage girls to take an interest in learning a trade. District 3 hosted a Weld Like a Girl event Saturday at the Manufacturing Industry Learning Lab.
A class of all girls between the ages of 8 to 15 learned the basics of welding and got to take home their own horse heart. The students also learned how to inspect welds through non-destructive inspection techniques.
Instructors Jared Williams told News 5 he was impressed by the skills the girls displayed.
"It has been amazing today, I have had some girls here that I wish were in my high school class. not just in my high school class but teaching some of my high schoolers on how to do some nice welds," Williams said.
Welding tends to be a male-dominated industry with women making up less than 5 percent of all welding inspectors in the workforce.
Organizers hope to encourage and inspire younger generations to consider careers in the skilled trades.
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