“Being a woman in the racing industry has been great. Of course, you feel a sense that you have to prove yourself, but hard work gets noticed,” said Conrad. “My biggest pieces of advice are: work hard, have a positive attitude, and don’t let anyone tell you what you can and can’t do. Keep pushing.”
ORLANDO, Fla. (May 19, 2022) – In the spirit of “You can’t be what you can’t see,” Universal Technical Institute (UTI) hosted more than 100 female high school students from the greater Orlando area at its Orlando campus, so they could learn about rewarding career opportunities in the transportation sector. The Women in STEM Skilled Trades Conference, put on by UTI and IGNITE Worldwide, a non-profit working to achieve gender equity in STEM education and careers, included an interactive tour, project-based learning demonstrations and a panel discussion featuring successful women who are UTI graduates and industry leaders.
Panelist Madison Conrad, a powertrain reliability specialist at Roush Yates Engines and graduate of UTI’s Mooresville, N.C. campus, NASCAR Technical Institute, shared her experience as a woman working in motorsports. She was part of the Paretta Autosport pit crew for Simona De Silvestro at the 2021 Indianapolis 500, which made history as the first female-forward team to compete in the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
“Being a woman in the racing industry has been great. Of course, you feel a sense that you have to prove yourself, but hard work gets noticed,” said Conrad. “My biggest pieces of advice are: work hard, have a positive attitude, and don’t let anyone tell you what you can and can’t do. Keep pushing.”
The event was held on Skilled Trades Day, May 4, along with UTI-Orlando’s Open House, which allowed anyone interested in learning more about the campuses’ automotive, diesel, motorcycle and marine technician training to visit the campus and tour its classrooms and labs.
"Employers are looking for more automotive and diesel technicians and other trained workers in the skilled trades," said Universal Technical Institute-Orlando campus president Timothy Dauber. "Women have traditionally been underrepresented in these sectors, but that's something we've been working to address with IGNITE Worldwide. Between this event and our open house, we’ve opened a lot of eyes to the fact that with just a year of technical training after high school, there are great job opportunities graduates are prepared to pursue.”
Research by both McKinsey and Harvard Business School has found that gender-diverse employers tend to be more productive and exhibit stronger financial performance relative to their non-diverse competitors. However, women represent just over one in four STEM workers. Currently, workforce demand in the transportation sector is significant nationwide, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimating a combined average of more than 146,000 new openings each year for automotive, diesel and welding jobs in the U.S.[1]
UTI has also offered a combined $100,000 in tuition grants to eligible students who have attended a virtual or in-person IGNITE Worldwide event.
About Universal Technical Institute, Inc.
Founded in 1965 and headquartered in Phoenix, Universal Technical Institute's (NYSE: UTI) mission is to serve our students, partners, and communities by providing quality education and support services for in-demand careers. Approximately 250,000 students have graduated from one of UTI's 15 campuses located across Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Texas. UTI's campuses are accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), while its employer-aligned technical training programs are offered under four brands: Universal Technical Institute, Motorcycle Mechanics Institute / Marine Mechanics Institute, NASCAR Technical Institute, and MIAT College of Technology. For more information and a complete list of all programs offered, please visit www.uti.edu or follow on LinkedIn @UniversalTechnicalInstitute and Twitter @news_UTI.
