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The future looks female in 2008
Why do so few women choose a career in the UK motor industry? Steph Savill, founder of FOXY Lady Drivers Club, believes the time is right for ambitious females to take a fresh look at this industry in 2008.
Despite some 40% of the UK retail motor industry's customers being female, as few as two out of ten employees are women. This may well be explained by vivid images of an unfriendly industry including dodgy dealers, rip-off merchants and Swiss Tonis preying on single women...
Who would want a career in an industry that takes such a cavalier view of valuable customers and doesn't seem to have done much to make things better over many years?
Steph Savill believes that this poor image is set to change for the better in 2008 because the industry is introducing several exciting quality initiatives, making it easier for potential employees and customers alike to identify and favour the best retail motor businesses from the rest.
Steph explains how this is all starting to improve standards in UK garages and dealerships.
"Businesses that have recently gained OFT Stage 2 approval, the BSI Kitemark license or are supporting employees through ATA (Automotive Technician Accreditation) qualifications are not just demonstrating a quality commitment for customers but they are also likely to be more caring employers too. All these schemes involve considerable investment and those that are prepared to go that extra mile are moving the quality bar ever higher for others to follow."
Another factor that will encourage women to enter the industry and develop their skills from within is the existence of a £10 million government fund in England, called Women & Work, available for female employees over 19 years and worth some £850 each towards training costs.
Whilst FOXY Lady Drivers Club welcomes all initiatives to improve motoring services for female customers, Steph is quick to point out the benefits of employing more women from a male perspective too.
"When it comes to buying garage services and new cars it's not just women who admit to feeling uncomfortable and ill at ease on occasion." explains Steph. "Many men feel this way too so those businesses that employ the right women and then encourage them to contribute to the overall service experience often find that the female touch is the missing sales and customer satisfaction ingredient. This is such an obvious service gap with genuine commercial returns for those businesses that get the gender balance right."
From a female jobseeker's perspective, 2008 sounds like the year when the UK retail motor industry will be seen to put its house in order, with a view to a much brighter and more female-friendly future. The opportunities and rewards are there for customers, businesses and employees alike.
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