November 18, 2013 - Think a Career as an Automotive Technician is Just for Men? Think Again.

Oil changes. Tune-ups. Engine rebuilds. Collision repair. In the past, men typically handled car maintenance and repair. But these days, it’s becoming more and more common to see a woman working under the hood.

Today’s vehicles are marvels of engineering and mechanical ingenuity. Repair jobs these days require more brains than brawn.

The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence reports that the number of female service advisors and technicians has tripled in the last decade. And, it’s not just adult women who are showing an interest in cars. Girl Scouts have the opportunity to earn a Car Care Badge, which teaches them the basics of car maintenance.

A recent article in The Dallas Morning News spotlights an automotive repair shop in Dallas where the entire technician team is female.

One of the technicians profiled, Stephanie Milne, attended the Universal Technical Institute campus in Houston to learn collision repair. This all female shop may be out of the ordinary, but women entering this traditionally male dominated field are becoming more common.

“Many people think that the automotive and diesel industry is only for men but it’s simply not true,” said Jesus Miranda, Universal Technical Institute Dallas/Fort Worth Campus President. “We have females that are training for careers in the industry who know that working on cars these days involves a lot more than turning a wrench … it involves advanced analytical and diagnostic skills.”

More emphasis has been placed on encouraging women to pursue STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers in recent years. The automotive and diesel repair industry falls naturally into this career path as more math and science is needed than ever before to diagnose complicated car problems. The U.S. Department of Commerce reports that women with STEM jobs earn 33 percent more than comparable women in non-STEM occupations; however, women are still considered underrepresented in STEM jobs.

“At our campus, about three percent of our students are female but I believe that number will grow rapidly in the next few years,” Miranda added. “There’s a great demand for skilled technicians and more women are discovering how working on vehicles not only pays well but is an intellectually rewarding career choice.”

To find out more about Universal Technical Institute’s Dallas/Fort Worth campus, please visit www.uti.edu/dfw and www.facebook.com/utidfw.