APPRENTICE CALLS FOR ASPIRING FEMALE MECHANICS TO PUT THEIR FOOT DOWN

A SERVICE TECHNICIAN apprentice from Enfield has called on more females to drive their careers forward in the automobile industry.

Britney Fingall, who commutes 2 hours every day from North London to Alan Day VW’s showroom in Hampstead, believes the industry is lacking female representation:

“When I was training at college, only 2 of my class of 20 were female. I’d personally like to see more women in the motor industry – the more the merrier! “I’d encourage anyone who has a passion for the motor industry to pursue it as a career regardless of gender.“Yes, it’s a male-dominated industry but anyone can do it. The world is changing, as long as you’re passionate about something, you can do it, that’s how I see it.”

Paul Tanner, Managing Director from Alan Day VW, said:

“It’s always good to see an apprentice doing well and enjoying their work. Britney is learning quickly and we really hope this encourages other young people with a passion for cars to come forward to join Alan Day VW.”

Britney first became enamored with the automobile industry after doing work experience at Alan Day VW in August 2017. She said:

“I knew straight away that this was what I wanted to do so I asked loads of questions trying to find out exactly what I needed to know to get on to the apprenticeship scheme. 

“By the end of the week, Nick Wells was so impressed he decided to take me on as an apprentice! Since then, I’ve been working closely under my mentor, Paul Price, and he’s teaching me everything he knows!

“When I first started my head was always in a book. I just wanted to learn everything I needed to know. I’d stay in my room and focus and soon enough, day by day, I was getting better, more knowledgeable and more confident to work on a vehicle.”

Britney, now 21-years-old, has been working with cars since she was 16 and confesses that despite her long-held passion for mechanics she was initially hesitant to pursue a career in the motor industry and even consulted her mum for advice:

“To be honest when I was younger, I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to be a mechanic or a nurse.

“Whenever I have doubts about anything I always speak with my mum and when I started this my mum gave me so much encouragement and just told me to do it as long as I like it. “I still like it so I haven’t stopped!”

Britney adds that she has ambitions to develop a long-term career in the industry and sees her current apprenticeship as an important stepping-stone:

“This apprenticeship opens a lot of doors and gives me the base I need to progress in the industry. Once you complete this, you can do whatever you want; if you want to go into bodyshops – you can do that, if you’re interested in becoming a service advisor that’s an option too.“If I choose to become a manager later down the line, my technical knowledge of mechanics will be a massive benefit for me and for the customer.”