Chilliwack — Women are often underrepresented in trades careers, but change is on its way. For the first time, the University of the Fraser Valley’s Automotive Collision Repair and Refinishing class boasts a nearly equal gender split, representing part of a larger shift happening across Canada.
Thanks to a concentrated push for recruitment at the annual Fraser Valley Women’s Expo, the UFV Women Explore Trades program, and events like UFV Chilliwack Open House, awareness of UFV’s trade education offerings has grown, bringing more talented women than ever into Associate Professor Nick Penner’s on-campus auto shop. The nine-month Auto Collision Repair and Refinishing certificate educates students in sheet metal repair, custom metal work, and autobody paint jobs. Eight out of Nick’s 17 students this year identify as female.
“You leave with no financial burdens. When I did my schooling, I had zero debt because you earn money while you’re going to school,” Penner explains. “The government pays you while you’re learning, so you get thousands of dollars of schooling basically for nothing. You can make good money if you’re dedicated — it’s a good field to get into.”
While many of Penner’s female students joined the certificate program with an existing passion for cars, some of them — such as Elexis Robins — are trying it out for the first time. She wanted to work with her hands and develop a new skill, and this class fit the bill. With student debt rising, the choice to sign up for a trades certificate and apprenticeship is a no-brainer for many.
For Jay Jensen, it’s the culture around cars that drew her in. “I’m interested in modification, personalization, and the fact that my vehicles are an extension of me.”
Her classmate Breyanna Maisey agrees. “It’s essentially an art form, a form of expression. Just how some people paint, and some people do pottery: for us, it’s cars.”
With scholarship funding from real estate developer Diane Delves, many more women in trades can benefit from the same education that Nick’s students have enjoyed. The Quantum Properties Annual Scholarship for Women in Trades provides $1,000 to help female students break into traditionally male-dominated fields.
Past female graduates have gone on to receive their Red Seal certification and find success in professional refinishing. Now that their course is completed, Ally Mui dreams of opening her own garage, while Jensen puts her certificate to work at a local autobody shop where she makes sure all her customers get fair treatment and good service.
“Some people try to take advantage of women in an auto shop setting — like overcharging, over-explaining, recommending stuff that absolutely does not need to be done. That’s why I wanted to be at the service counter, just so I can say, ‘I know what you need, I know what you don’t need. I know you don’t need blinker fluid,’” Jensen explains. “I’ve had lots of customers say thank you for being here.”
To women considering training for a career in trades, Penner’s students say, “do it.”
To learn more about their work, along with other exciting stories from UFV, see our Community Report and the UFV Today blog.
