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TRAINING
talent, and a tidal wave of new technology, "
Treanor said. " The answers to
all these challenges is diversity. We
need diversity of gender, ethnicity, of
age, physical attributes, and more. "
Treanor pointed out that a diverse
team can solve more problems more
efficiently than one that isn't. " It's
important to remember that everyone
has strengths, but that we also
all have weaknesses, and that's why
with diversity comes strength. "
During the two-hour discussion,
Treanor and the panelists focused on
some of the challenges that females
face in school and in the workplace,
including the perception of not being
able to do the job, not being taken seriously,
being stereotyped into a certain
job, trying to get that first job, and the
lack of support from others.
One of the key topics amongst the
panelists was barriers that they have
faced while working towards a career
as an automotive repair technician.
Albin said one of her biggest barriers
was the lack of support and not having
enough believers. She started her
education at a four-year college studying
graphic design, which she learned
quickly wasn't the career path for her.
" As a young child, I was always pulling
things apart, " Albin recalled. " I was
interested in knowing what things
looked like on the inside or how they
worked. There was a passion inside
of me to find out who I was without
being restricted or told 'This is what
you need to do because of society.' For
me, the passion to become a technician
was built within me. It's something
that I didn't need to really look for-I just needed
to figure out how to express myself. "
When trying to get experience during high
" We're telling half the
population 'You don't need to
apply for a job in this industry,'
but we have a technician
shortage and it's not like the
chip shortage, it's not going
to get solved when the supply
chain kinks get sorted out. "
Mike Coley, President, ASE Education Foundation
stereotypes and what people think automotive
is is a really good start. "
Knocking down barriers
The panel and the audience provided
a wide array of suggestions to help
increase the number of females in
schools. The ideas included increasing
shadowing opportunities, giving high
school students the option to explore
automotive classes to see if they like
them, starting to reach females in
middle school to encourage them to
think about a career in the transportation
industry, providing facts to potential
students about the advantages of
the industry and financial benefits
they could achieve, creating a safe
environment for students, eliminating
the term 'non-traditional,' and working
with administrators and counselors to
encourage female students to participate
in automotive programs.
Bramante said he creates a safe and
inclusive space for his students through
motivational signs throughout his classroom,
and he lets students know from
day one that they will not be bullied,
harassed, or intimidated in his world.
" That's the least that I can do is to
» Missy Albin serves as a female ambassador for Navistar's
technician recruitment program, TECH EmPOWERment.
Photo: 781 Photography
On the topic of stereotyping, Treanor asked
school, Kovac said one of the barriers that she
encountered was getting her first hire. She
explained that she interviewed for a job-shadowing
position and that the interview quickly
changed once she got to the dealership. She
ended up being a night service cashier, so she
didn't gain any shop experience. The next place
she went to try to get a technician job saw that
she had experience answering telephones, so
they thought the best job for her was in an
office position as well.
" I think that's one of the stereotypes that
women face is 'You look like you'd be better
in a customer-facing position, so we're going
to push you in that direction,' " Kovac said. " As
a technician, I was extremely valuable, and I
just had to make people see that. "
Other barriers that the panel discussed
included not being considered capable of being
a service technician, that they aren't being
taken seriously as a female, a perception that
females cannot do the job, continual rejection
and not getting a chance to prove themselves,
and being stereotyped into a certain role or
type of position.
the panel if there was anything intimidating
about a career in the automotive repair industry
or if they had any reservations. For Albin,
using tools was intimidating at first because
she didn't have anyone to teach her how to
properly use them.
" At first, I was afraid of anything pneumatic,
with a wheel, but over the years, I lost the
intimidation factor when somebody actually
embraced how humiliated I was by not
knowing how to use the tool properly, " Albin
recalled. " How do you use the tool for the job?
And which tool to use for the job? Overcoming
that, I was able to flourish as a technician once
I knew what tools were out there, how to use
them, and when to use them. "
Talking about her own experience as a new
technician, Treanor said that she never wanted
to ask for help because she didn't want to be
seen as not knowing the answer, and that, she
believes, was a big hindrance to her.
" A really classic stereotype that we all have
to break and deal with every day is that people
think we're stupid or a grease monkey, " Treanor
said of repair professionals. " It's actually a
science at the end of the day. What we're doing
is only going to get more complicated. Breaking
provide a stable learning experience for
all students, " Bramante said. " And it's not
just females, it's all of my students, but the
females get a sense of safety and belonging,
and it doesn't take a lot of effort. "
Other suggestions that were discussed
included featuring women in the automotive
repair industry in marketing materials
like company posters, websites, and
online advertisements, finding a role
model or mentor for guidance, creating afterschool
programs for middle schools focusing
on service repair, and creating clubs in high
school for students to have a place to discuss
automotive careers.
At the end of the discussion, Treanor asked
the panelists what they would tell their younger
selves. Albin responded, " I would tell my
younger self that I'm worthy of my dreams and
to not be nervous or scared to pursue them.
And everybody that tells you no, just laugh at
them instead of cry. It would be amazing to tell
my younger self where I am today. "
Kovacs would tell her younger self, " You got
this. And you don't have to know everything
from the start-nobody does. I wish I could
show her that I made it. "
By George Arrants
VICE PRESIDENT FOR ASE EDUCATION FOUNDATION
George Arrants works with instructors and administrators
to develop partnerships with local businesses and industries
through program advisory committees. He is the
past chair of the Technology and Maintenance Council's
TMCSuperTech, the National Technician Skills Competition,
and TMCFutureTech, the National Student Technician
Competition. His entire career has been in the automotive
service and education industries.
October 2022 | FleetMaintenance.com
49
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