BMW
has launched a new programme to help attract more female technicians to its
dealer service network.
Currently,
there is only one qualified female technician out of 300 BMW engineers across
the country, so the firm is trying to encourage more women to enrol on its
training course.
The
company has been sending information on careers within BMW to various girls’
schools and advertising in women’s magazines in a bid to improve diversity.
The
firm’s HR department has also surveyed the dealerships to ensure they foster a
friendly and equal atmosphere without any barriers to female technicians.
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Roger
Waters, career planning manager at BMW, said he wanted to communicate the
increasing sophistication of the jobs on offer.
"The
traditional image of the greasy car mechanic needs updating. We receive 2,000
applications each year for the technician course, but we can only accept 150
people. When we’re searching for the best school leavers, it’s crazy to ignore
half of them," he said.
