In the face of a continuing technician shortage, one shop owner in Virginia has made an effort to reach out to a demographic that has long been overlooked in the industry, Bizwomen reports.
Julie Holmes is the co-CEO of Virginia Tire & Auto, a $62 million auto repair business operating 17 locations in Northern Virginia.
Holmes has launched a campaign with her company called “Women in Automotive,” which has consisted of Holmes speaking about auto repair technician careers at events such as middle school and high school job fairs or Girl Scouts troop meetings.
The initiative focuses on girls in high school or younger who are interested in pursuing a STEM career. Holmes has outlined the high salaries that students can earn while not performing the grueling work that technicians are often depicted performing.
“The most physical thing you might have to do now is roll a tire,” Holmes said.
With the decrease in intense physical labor and an increase in technology in vehicles, Holmes lets girls know that their careers would largely be compromised of problem-solving and employing the scientific method: questioning, doing research, forming a hypothesis, and performing data analysis.
“It’s a career that does require you to use your brain,” Holmes remarked.
