June 28, 2022—The ASE Education Foundation has announced a keynote panel for its 2022 Instructor Training Conference that will focus on the topic of ensuring welcoming workplaces for women and other underrepresented groups.
According to a press release, the keynote is set to be moderated by Catherine “Cat” Treanor, UK business development manager for Electude and will include the following participants:
- Missy Albin, Navistar master diesel mechanic, Taylor & Lloyd, Inc.
- Lou Bramante, automotive instructor, Vineland Senior High School
- Raven Hartkopf, collision discipline lead, Colin College
- Jenny Kovacs, Ford master technician, C. Harper Ford
- Joe Laubhan, service director, Classic Chevrolet
- Vanessa Retsos, Chevrolet service technician, Classic Chevrolet
- Paulina Sanchez, collision repair student, Colin College
“Our special keynote panel will concentrate on why our industry is missing out on nearly half of potential students and employees and what can we do about it,” said Mike Coley, president, ASE Education Foundation in the press release. “We have a knowledgeable panel of technicians, managers, instructors and students, most of them women, for what promises to be a lively discussion. We will hear about barriers and ways to overcome them from people who have lived it. The session will provide strategies that participants can implement in their own programs to be part of the ‘2 percent solution’.”
The 2 percent solution refers to the fact that 50 percent of the industry workforce is made up of women, but only 2 percent of women work as automotive service technicians.
The ASE Instructor Training Conference will be held July 12 through July 15, 2022 in Frisco, Texas. It is open to high school and college instructors in the areas of automotive, truck, and collision repair programs. More information can be found here.
