Breaking Barries & Encouraging Exploration: JEVS Orleans Technical College Hosts Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey

JEVS Human Services (JEVS) and Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey collaborated for a day of career exploration and hands-on workshops.

Over 30 Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey participants of their Design & Build summer camp took over Orleans Technical College to have a peek at a day in the life of an electrical training student. The girls had the opportunity to meet JEVS Career and Technical Education (CTE) staff, tour OTC’s trades and healthcare classes, and suit up for an electrical workshop with two of OTC’s Residential and Commercial Electricity instructors.

This event aligned perfectly with the goals of both Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey and JEVS. Girls Inc. helps girls discover their talents and learn about different careers, and JEVS connects Philadelphia youth with alternative educational and skills training pathways. In fact, most of the girls participating in the Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey program are enrolled through Career Connected Learning Philadelphia (C2L-PHL). C2L-PHL is a youth workforce development program that pays young Philadelphians to invest in their futures! JEVS is proud to serve as the program intermediary, supporting young people and program providers through the process.

The hands-on electrical workshop allowed the girls to learn about electrical safety and how to properly wire outlets and lightbulbs from industry experts. Hands-on training and collaboration like this are at the core of the JEVS CTE division. Another important aspect of events like this is showing young girls that women can be interested in the trades and excel in this traditionally male-dominated field. “I would be really interested in working in the trades because I like hands-on work and seeing something I built/created,” shared a Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey participant.

Do you have high school students who would be interested in exploring building trades or healthcare careers? Contact [email protected] for additional details and to get started.