FEMALE students have been driving forward their future careers after taking part in an Automotive Apprenticeship day at the Toyota Academy.
Nine girls from Trinity Academy, in Thorne, joined other staff and students as guests of Sheffield-based company Gaia Innovation Ltd to learn about apprenticeships in the automotive industry.
The event was designed to encourage them to consider both technical and non-technical roles in a STEM-related (science, technology, engineering and maths) industry.
The girls were given a tour of Toyota’s manufacturing plant and took part in sessions including informative presentations, interactive activities and workshops including:
Discover Toyota, a presentation to boost their awareness of Toyota’s history and heritage;
Toyota Careers: Customer Care, current apprentices and trainers provided students with an understanding of the roles of service and parts advisors at Toyota dealerships;
Apprenticeships, a technical overview of fuel cell technology and the apprenticeship programmes.
Gaia Innovation and Toyota GB are both members of the UK Automotive 30% Club, a group of progressive companies related to the automotive sector that are working to close the gender gap in their businesses.
Trinity Academy student Emily Christie said: “Today has changed the way I view apprenticeships in the automotive industry. I have learned how vehicles work and what is behind the scenes during the manufacturing process.”
Teacher Steve Walton said: “A highlight for the students was being able to operate robots during the system training workshop and to be able to get up close to the future of automotive technology with the hydrogen-powered car, the Mirai.
“The visit was a great opportunity for our female students to understand the breadth of roles available to them. Importantly, this visit dispelled the view of a male-dominated environment and that working in the automotive industry is open to all.”
Robin Giles, director of HR & Corporate Operations at Toyota GB, added: “It was fantastic to see the group of schoolgirls gradually learning and discovering the world of apprenticeships at Toyota. I believe they have gone away with a different perception of what opportunities are available for them and hope they will consider this in the future.”
The event closed with a speech from Julia Muir, CEO of Gaia Innovation and founder of the UK Automotive 30% Club, who told the girls about the need to equip themselves with the necessary personal, social and technology skills for working in the machine and robot dominated 4th Industrial Revolution.
She said: “We need a better gender balance in the creation and sale of our product to better reflect the customer base. In an apprenticeship, students can develop personal, social and technology skills required in the real world of work.”