Are you artistic? Can you paint?
Some of us can and others can’t. My sister-in-law, step-daughter and niece can, for example, but my son and I can’t ;-(.
Perhaps when thinking about this your mind has instantly conjured up delicious Turner-like landscapes, Rembrandt-esque portraits and modern day images from the likes of Beryl Cook and Jack Vettriano…
But there is another kind of more practical painting in the UK motor industry that deserves our accolades too – that of painting vehicles leaving a perfect, durable and high gloss surface at the end of the job. Undoubtedly a skilled profession involving meticulous surface preparation, masking, spotlessly clean working conditions, the patience of Job and the time that so many coats of paint takes to apply and then dry…and everything else that an expert knows about this of course.
And surprisingly for some, you don’t have to be a man to do this well, as the first women-only automotive paint course will testify when Southgate College teamed up with the IMI (Institute of the Motor Industry) and Morelli Group, to offer courses in bodywork spray painting last month.
The occasion illustrated in the photo was intended to show women that the UK motor industry is a serious career choice for females (who account for as little as 20% of the industry workforce, dropping to just 3% of the automotive paint spraying workforce).
The fact that there are so few women in the industry isn’t because they can’t do the job because they can. It’s part to do with the way the male dominated industry is perceived by women and part because of the way some businesses treat women as second class employees or customers.
Why shouldn’t women be technicians, paint sprayers, accident estimators, roadside patrolmen, diagnostic engineers, car designers, salesmen, Managers and Board members in the UK motor industry?
No reason at all. They are perfectly able to do all these jobs given the right training and education.
Thank goodness times are changing in the motor industry at long last for the good of all employees and customers in future, offering women better career choices in the process.
Exciting times.
FOXY Steph
Find out about Female Business Ambassadors representing female friendly businesses in the UK motor industry.
