ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – To meet growing workforce demands in the area, Pinellas County Schools is pushing students to examine non-traditional roles in common job fields.
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St. Pete automotive training
What we know:
Twenty high school seniors are spending four days participating in a special girls-only automotive maintenance summer camp at Northeast High School.
“This is a male-dominated profession, and so we’re trying to attract females into this program to get them accumulated in helping to support the workforce because this is a high-demand area,” Pinellas County Schools Area Superintendent Dywayne Hinds said.
What they’re saying:
Incoming high school senior Leona Tran described herself as “not car savvy” prior to attending the camp.
“A lot of equipment if very daunting when you look at it,” Tran said. “Once you get used to it, once you get to feel the force, but also control it, that takes a lot of the stigma away.”
Grace Mayorga started the camp with more automotive experience, even helping her father replace an engine. The fellow senior thinks everyone should have baseline skills when it comes to cars.
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“It’s really valuable for life skills,” Mayorga said. “Let’s say you get stranded, then what, what are you going to do, at least you’ll know the basic foundation of checking.”
Pinellas County workforce development
The backstory:
This is not the first time the county has started a girls-only camp.State requirements for career and technical education programs push districts to recruit non-traditional students into high-demand fields.
In addition to the automotive industry, other examples include introducing boys to nursing or girls to construction, like a previous Pinellas summer camp focused on.
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Continuing education
What’s next:
Pinellas County schools will host its traditional automotive maintenance camp next week. Northeast High School offers a full four-year Automotive Academy Automotive Service Technology program during the school year.
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