Summer camps give girls experience in nontraditional careers

A recent report says just 8% of firefighters in our country are female. The number of women police officers (13%) and EMTs (21%) is also well below those of men.

So, what can be done to get more females interested in protective services careers? A summer camp partnership between Madison College and the Badgerland Girl Scouts is giving K-12 girls hands-on experience in such areas as firefighting, first aid, fingerprinting, rappelling and crime scene analysis. It's called CampHERO and it was founded 10 years ago by EMS Program Director Jen Roman. 

The popularity of CampHERO led to CampBUILD, which gives girls experience in the skilled trades. They get to fire up a variety of power tools and learn how to build things.

Interested in a nontraditional career?
Check out Madison College's Protective Services and Construction and Remodeling programs.