Women Conquering the Car Business

Sophies Story:

Sophie Hemming is the first female vehicle technician to kick-start her career through an Autotech Academy internship and she candidly admits that securing a vehicle technician role was frequently challenging in male-dominated garages. So much so that, despite a life-long love of motor cars, the 26-year-old put off taking her Level 3 in Light Vehicle Maintenance and Repair for several years. After completing ‘A’ Levels at Pembrokeshire College, in 2015, Sophie qualified with a Level 1 in Light Vehicle and Maintenance Repair and a Level 2 qualification in Motor Sports: “I have a passion for race cars and from a young age would help my dad fix up a long line of old vehicles. I knew early on that it was the career path for me.”

Moving to Southampton, Sophie was disillusioned with repeated rejections when trying to secure a vehicle technician role; “I was either under-qualified with a Level 2 or was frankly told that as a woman I wouldn’t fit in,” so she found a role as a seamstress. Being furloughed during the pandemic, Sophie quickly realised that her ambition to work within the automotive industry had not been quashed. Signing up for a Level 3 at Eastleigh College, Sophie was also employed by the college as a Learning Support Assistant, teaching Level 1 and 2 automotive students. Teaching could have potentially been the default career for Sophie, had her course leader not mentioned the Autotech Academy internship programme. Created to help thousands of students get a foothold on the automotive career ladder, and support employers when recruiting new talent, Autotech Academy provides qualified college leavers with a gateway into the industry through a paid internship.

Starting at Richmond ŠKODA, Botley, in early September, Sophie readily admits that she has, ‘landed on my feet.’ Working with the team, Sophie has put her theory to good practice, spending two days in her first two weeks shadowing each vehicle technician. At the start of the third week, she spent the morning working with the Master Technician who, after assessing her ability, gave Sophie her own ramp in the afternoon.

“Since then, I have been working independently. The team here are great. I am continually given new tasks and am encouraged to ask questions if unsure. As a dealer garage, the work is timed, so it’s a fast way to learn to work efficiently and with confidence.” Sophie’s Service Manager, Matt Savage, commented: “At Richmond we only want people with a can-do approach, and Sophie has demonstrated that with her commitment to succeed in a challenging industry. She has settled in well working within a great team and we know that our investment with Sophie through Autotech Academy will support our business moving forward. It is important that we encourage and support Sophie to continue her development and prove that success is about attitude and not anything else.” For more information contact us: www.schoolofthought.info or www.autotechacademy.co.uk “Autotech Academy have been amazing. They took all the hard work out of the jobseeking process, from finding a placement, providing me with tools and a uniform, and making the introductions. I just had to prove myself.”

www.stellantisapprenticeships.com

Your future is our future

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of independence that your first car gives you. To go where you want, when you want without relying on lifts, taxis or public transport. It’s the same feeling you have when you receive your first pay check. It gives you a strong sense of independence and achievement. At The Performance Academy we are committed to giving you the best start in your career and an apprenticeship in our UK dealer network, whatever your chosen specialism, will provide you with the essential skills, knowledge and real life work exposure to kick start your career.

Apprenticeship Roles

We are looking for ambitious candidates ready to take ownership of their development, work hard to achieve their potential and grow with an ambitious employer. There are lots of opportunities to develop your career; from short to long term. Your early development is carefully mapped through your Apprenticeship journey with your learning focussed toward achieving an industry recognised qualification.

The women conquering the car business

by Mike Rutherford

How is Britain’s automotive industry doing in the battle for gender equality? How come it attracts so many boys and men, but not nearly as many girls and women? Why oh why isn’t there more diversity, less imbalance?

If anyone can answer those questions, the high achieving women featured in this article can. They all rose to the top in the fast-paced car business and its associated industries. That ’s why their real-world advice is so valuable, insightful…and inspirational. Each one embarked on and enjoys a long and successful career in the automotive sector. Now they’re keen to see other women from all backgrounds follow in their footsteps. At least one of these industry leaders believes there has never been a better time than now for females to join and establish rewarding careers for themselves in the rapidly-changing car business.

So what’s stopping you?

Rebecca Adamson is Head of Automobile at Honda (UK) and isn’t afraid to admit that females continue to face challenges in today’s automotive industry. “But I’m not sure there are any that are unique to women,” she says. “ There are certainly more women in the industry now, and there’s possibly less surprise when we make it to more senior positions. Maybe that is our challenge – to encourage more people to look past the outdated automotive stereotype. “Discrimination definitely exists, but no more than in any other area of society. Where I have encountered discrimination, it’s been short-lived and generally presents itself in the form of low expectations – which simply makes it easier to exceed them.

For me, the priority is around attracting more people to the industry from every walk of life, as well as increasing the diversity across the board.” And Rebecca’s no-nonsense advice to women thinking of a career in the car business?

The British Motorshow 2022 supporting Women in the Industry

TAKE YOUR CAR TO AN INDEPENDENT GARAGE YOU CAN TRUST

The award-winning Independent Garage Association is the largest and most prominent representative body in the Independent garage sector.

The IGA helps independent garages to thrive in all aspects of their business by offering advice, information and services which ensure that the independent service and repair sector can remain efficient and competitive in an increasingly complex business landscape. We understand the challenges independent garages face and our mission is to help keep you ahead of the game and continue working effectively in an ever changing marketplace. We have worked tremendously hard in recent years to provide a truly outstanding package and, as a team, strive constantly to improve the membership proposition by working with you to provide new and improved ways to help.

Jaguar Brand Director, Anna Gallagher is happy that there are far more senior women in the automotive industry than a decade ago…but. “We are still under-represented. I continue to experience archetypal thinking, that to be successful you have to be pushy and aggressive, to over-exaggerate that you aren’t a ‘pushover ’. This simply isn’t true. Female and male colleagues have proven that you can make great advances. We need to concentrate on erasing this stereotype. “There needs to be a recognition that diversity is what drives better customer experiences, better products, and therefore business success…making sure that early careers are attracting diversity, that we nurture it, and truly value it. The different skills that diversity brings will allow the automotive industry to adapt to changing customers and their expectations. Anna has two short, simple words for women, young and old, thinking of joining the automotive industry “Do it,” she says.

Mandy Dean, Director of Commercial Vehicles at Ford

of Britain and Ireland feels there has never been a more exciting time for women to be part of the industry. “Although great strides are being made to attract and retain greater diversity of employees, there are still gaps to be addressed from apprentice to executive level. Visibility of a diverse workforce in every aspect of the industry is key to encourage young people of all backgrounds to visualise their future in the sector, and to show that jobs at the very highest level are open to all. “Opportunities for promotion and professional self-improvement are regularly cited as being one of the highest priorities in the workplace, and positive examples of this need to be shared and celebrated industry-wide if we want to attract diverse talent to work with us.”

“We have to show how vast and diverse our industry is and the huge number of opportunities there are to develop a successful career. It’s not just about cars! We need to reflect the needs of the working population and ensure we can attract the best of people from the broadest of profiles. Having different skills, perspectives and approaches is good for business. It ’s not just the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do. Her message to females thinking of joining the car business? “You’ll love it,” is Paula’s promise.

Paula Cooper is Director of Consumer One (Toyota’s insight, innovation and customer experience division) and is keen on an open-minded approach to identifying and nurturing talent. “There has been progress made in attitudes and mindsets,” she reckons. “ The challenges today are exhilarating: we work in a fast-paced, technologically advanced and creative industry and we need to welcome a broader range of talent into our businesses.