Not Just for Boys: What Happens When Girls Pick Up Power Tools for the First Time

In the minds of many young women, technical tools—drills, welding torches, angle grinders—have long been seen as not for them.

But that idea starts to fall apart the moment they pick one up.

At Busoga International Polytechnic (BIP), more and more girls are walking into workshops for the first time, eyes wide, hands hesitant—only to leave with a new feeling: ownership.

💬 “I was shaking the first time I held the drill. Ten minutes later, I didn’t want to put it down.”

— Electrical Trainee

That’s a story we hear a lot.

The first encounter is often filled with doubt.

"What if I mess up?"

"What if it's too heavy?"

"What if I break it?"

But then something changes.

They switch it on.

It whirs to life.

They cut. Shape. Build.

And suddenly—it’s not scary anymore.

 

🔄 Fear → Focus → Confidence → Pride

That’s the transformation that happens in BIP’s hands-on training.

• A student who thought welding was too dangerous, is now leading fabrication projects in class.
• Another who had never even held a screwdriver, confidently rewired a lamp at home after her first semester.

“I felt powerful,” Doreen says. “It wasn’t just the machine—it was me.”

🧠 Science Backs It Up

Studies show that girls in STEM who get hands-on, tool-based training are:

• More likely to retain technical knowledge
• More likely to stick with the program
• More likely to see themselves in engineering careers

According to a 2018 AAUW study, experiential learning boosts confidence and long-term performance in girls pursuing STEM by over 30%.

That’s exactly what BIP’s workshop-based education is built around.

🔧 Redesigning the Future—One Tool at a Time

When girls pick up power tools, they’re not just learning how to drill or weld.

They’re:

• Rewiring what they thought they could do
• Reshaping who they think they can become
• Reclaiming space in industries where they’ve been underrepresented

And the numbers speak volumes.

Only 7% of engineers globally are women.

But at BIP, the percentage of female technical students is steadily growing.

Every time one of them builds, repairs, or constructs, she’s doing more than finishing a project.

She’s saying: “I belong here.”

👩‍🔧 Ready to Be One of Them?

If you’ve ever doubted yourself around tools, tech, or trades—this is your invitation to change that.

👉 Apply to BIP today and discover what you’re really capable of.