Meet Coleg Ceredigion's aspiring female mechanics
Four female aspiring motor mechanics are training at Coleg Ceredigion’s Cardigan campus. We spoke to Lily and Sophie about their journey so far and what inspired their career choice.
Having trained and worked in catering and hospitality, Sophie Cope had the opportunity of a career change after the birth of her second daughter, prompting her to completely change direction.
Her husband Daniel, a motor mechanic who teaches at Coleg Ceredigion, encouraged Sophie to try her hand at a new skill and so she decided to take a U-turn on her career.
Sophie Cope said: “I’m really enjoying doing something completely different and I actually quite like getting my hands dirty.
“Also, I think it’s nice for my two daughters, who are currently seven and 16 months old, to see mum doing what dad does.
“I’m also redoing my maths GCSE in one-to-one tutor sessions which is great for me, having been out of education for a while.
“The tutors are great and there is no such thing as a silly question, they want you to learn and they want you to understand things in your own way.
“The hope for me is to start a family business in the motor trade industry with my husband and encourage female customers as it can be quite difficult walking into a garage with problems and not knowing anything about cars.”
Lily Noble also took a U-turn in her education when she realised that sixth form wasn’t the right choice for her.
She is already utilising her skills at college and has reduced the cost of a motorbike maintenance bill by doing the work herself, on her own bike, saving labour costs.
Lily Noble said: “I think mechanics is a generally good skill to have especially in situations where for example, you might break down, or have a puncture or need to do some small repairs.
“I am quite enjoying the theory side of things at the moment and the staff and mentoring support I get is really good.”
Sophie and Lily are two of the four female learners in the 19-strong level one vehicle maintenance group.