Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, is getting high school students involved in automotive work by holding an automotive repair championship competition, reports Fox 13 Now.
The competition will host teams from a dozen local high schools. Following two months of job shadowing with technicians, the students compete for scholarships and tools and are sponsored by local dealerships.
One student from Roosevelt High School, Marianna Applegate, recognizes that the industry is male-dominated, but is only more motivated to assert her own place within it, having received encouragement from her family.
“I asked my dad if this would be something cool to work in and he said yeah, go for it,” said Applegate. “It is male-dominated but it is something I take great pride in.”
Jessica Slater of the Department of Automotive Technology at Weber State described one of the biggest goals of the competition as providing job opportunities for the students, especially women looking to enter the automotive field.
“It’s so exciting, we are really encouraging more women to join our industry, we visit with them when we go out to the high schools, there is absolutely a place for women in this industry,” said Slater.
After traveling the country and seeing similar competitions, George Arrants of the ASE Education Foundation describes Weber State’s championship as one of the more impressive examples he’s witnessed.
“It’s huge because we have all this local talent in the local schools,” explained Arrants. “Very rarely do the employers get to see that talent while they’re in school.”
