Women joining body shops, a solution to the lack of professionals in the sector

The lack of young talent interested in pursuing a career in the body repair field is threatening the generational renewal in many body and paint shops. Regarding this situation, organizations such as TechForce Foundation mention female talent as one of the possible solutions to this deficit of professionals in the sector.

According to a study carried out in four major automobile markets (United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia), young women are more and more interested in working in professions with a high technical component, linked to the most innovative technologies, specifically mentioning the body repair sector. It is more and more common, according to TechForce, for major automobile brands to develop plans in order to attract female talent both for manufacturing and maintenance.

“Women make up more than half of the population, but represent less than 3% of the technical workforce”, explains Jennifer Maher, executive director at TechForce Foundation. “The women with a technical profile who we have talked to are improving professionally, and with the current demand for qualified technicians in the maintenance sector, which is much higher than the offering, there is a great opportunity for the industry to recruit women in these areas”.

“It is clear that women who pursue technical careers will play a vital role in the service and maintenance industry, where the need for talent at every level is huge”, states Dana Rapoport, main consultant at TechForce. “We hope that employers will make the most of this opportunity and welcome this growing group of female workers, who are willing to contribute to the technical workforce”.