Motofix helps close gender gap

The Motofix Group has recruited four female apprentices to its apprenticeship programme in the past twelve months.

The Motofix Group onboarded a record number of apprentices over the past year including four young women out of a total of 17 new recruits.

Chloe (18), Rhiannon (20), Scarlett (20) and Agnes (21) have all joined the Motofix apprenticeship scheme at various locations across the group.

With repair centres across eight counties in the UK, the group prides itself on ‘growing its own talent’ by training the next generation of automotive apprentices and providing them with the skillset and knowledge to prosper in their future careers.

Commentating on her time so far, vehicle paint technician apprentice Agnes said, ‘Motofix offers a kind and safe working environment where mentors are consistently challenging the apprentices to advance their skillsets.

‘The attraction of learning something new every day whilst in full-time employment is an ideal alternative to higher education, which is not for everyone due to the reality of inflated tuition expenses and significant debt.’

The current number of apprentices in training is over 20 and Motofix is now gearing up to expand its scheme to offer a number of further places by the end of 2018 across seven of its sites in the UK to future proof their skills requirements and continue the diversification of its workforce by plugging the gender gap in the automotive industry.

The IMI (Institute of the Motor Industry) has recently introduced statistics that puts the ratio of men to women in the automotive industry at 10:2.

Further data from the Association of Consulting Engineers in 2017 shows that the number of women who undertake automotive apprenticeships in the UK stands at a mere 2% – presenting a worrying scenario for the next generation of women in the automotive sector.

The small number of young women breaking through into the male-dominated industry has resulted in another issue; a skills gap that will inevitably grow at an accelerated rate if female applicants continue to lag behind in the race for apprenticeships.