Today, there exists exciting career opportunities for women to enter the growing automotive industry. According to the U.S. Dept. of Labor, the country’s automotive repair and maintenance industry is expected to add 237,500 new jobs and will grow by 30% through 2020.
Yet, women in the automotive industry are significantly underrepresented across all positions in the field. Men hold approximately 75% of all jobs within the industry, and over 95% of all technical positions, including automotive technicians and service advisors.
Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology (BFIT) currently has 12 women enrolled in our automotive department across our certificate, associate, and bachelor's degree programs, which is about 10% of all students in the Automotive Technology department. This number has remained steady for the past few years. Yet, while we have made strides in recruiting women into this program, more work needs to be done to support them in building a network and gaining self-confidence.
According to the U.S. Dept. of Labor, the country's automotive repair and maintenance industry is expected to add 237,500 new jobs and will grow by 30% through 2020.
Last year, with the help of students, BFIT established the Automotive Women’s Group to serve as a forum for women to network, gain job-ready skills, and share experiences in the automotive field. Since that time, the group has hosted meetings and invited women in the automotive industry to speak about their careers. These activities have already resulted in mentorship opportunities and job offers for some students.
