Apparently the automotive industry is viewed by the majority of young people as a no-go area when it comes to thinking about their future job.
According to Steve Yardley of training organisation ReMIT “There’s a big skills gap and the automotive industry is an ageing workforce. There are not enough people to fill that gap and the industry needs to tap into GCSE level. There needs to be a vocational option for people at that stage in their life.”
Richard Ennis, dealer principal at Mercedes-Benz Colchester added that “There are heavy negative perceptions put on our industry and the automotive industry is not painted as somewhere good to work.”
I agree with all this but would add that in an industry which is probably the final male bastion, where 80% of the workforce is male yet 50%+ of its customers are female, this should be the wake up call for the industry to finally start to heal itself.
No tinkering on the margins though…nothing short of a total female friendly makeover will do the trick in my opinion.
The industry will then have to pull its quality socks up, clean its act up altogether, be much more open and honest when it comes to pricing practices and adopt for real the ethical standards of the ATA Code of Conduct.
No longer the boys doing business along status quo lines - boys doing it all for boys and telling us girls what to do.
The industry must open its doors wide and welcome women to help us help them to sort this out. Please allow us to show you what your/our industry can look like when it operates to a (more) demanding female friendly standard.
The fact is that tomorrow’s job applicants and apprentices expect a fairer world to work in too – be seen as a female friendly employer and you’ll not only attract much needed female skills at all levels of your business but you’ll also attract a higher calibre of male applicants too (who are used to higher standards in other industries).
FOXY Steph
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