Women belong in the workshop

Women belong in the workshop

Michelle Hinterkörner has landed in her dream job. The 27-year-old is a body shop technician at the Lucky Car location in Linz. She is one of four women who work for Austria's market leader in contract-free vehicle workshops. A number that managing director Mitar Kos wants to increase in the next few years. 

"In the future, we would like to address the target group of women much more and get them excited about the automotive industry. To achieve this, we will work more closely with institutions that are exclusively dedicated to women in the trades," says Kos. "We have also already internally discussed internships that we are creating specifically for women. There are also many other considerations as to how we can encourage women to get more involved in skilled, supposedly male professions." Lucky Car also wants to score points with the variety of training opportunities. Young men and women can be trained there to become car mechanics, car mechatronics engineers, body builders and car painters - around 35 apprentices are currently employed.

For Kos, the fact that the industry is still perceived as a purely male domain is simply wrong and no longer up-to-date: “Many people are not aware that women in particular have had a significant impact on the history of the automobile.” In 1888, Bertha Benz undertook the first cross-country trip in history in her husband Carl's Benz Patent motor car. The French Duchess Anne d'Uzès was the first person to take a driving test in 1898, the American Margaret A. Wilcox is considered the inventor of the car heater and is one of the first female mechanical engineers. And Cläreore Stinnes was the first person to drive around the world in a car. She is also said to have said: “We are no better than men, but at least as good”.

This is similar to Kos. "Supposed weaknesses that are often attributed to women are increasingly developing into strengths in the working world. This also applies to the automotive industry. Women think and act differently than men, which is precisely why they bring new perspectives. More emotionality - less harshness is a philosophy that many companies are now adopting," says the Lucky Car boss. Female strengths such as social skills, empathy, organizational talent and emotional intelligence are becoming increasingly important in a well-functioning working world, whether at management level or in workshops. “The positive influence of so-called ‘feminine’ characteristics is clearly visible,” says Kos.

This also applies to the automotive industry: "Let's take the profession of automotive mechatronics technician as an example, which has changed significantly. Instead of tightening screws with oil-smeared hands in dirty overalls, working on cars today requires precise knowledge of measuring and diagnostic devices. Muscle strength plays a subordinate role, brains are required," explains Kos. The job of car painter is also an activity that should involve artistic skills. “I see a lot of women in this position in the future and Lucky Car wants to become a pioneer within the industry,” says Kos.

In any case, the reasons why Michelle Hinterkörner chose a career in the automotive industry coincide with the assessments of the Lucky Car boss: "The job is varied, technically exciting and creative. In addition, my training makes me an all-rounder and I can cover everything from windshield repair to dismantling or assembling components, plumbing work to painting vehicles," says the Linzer native. The different damage patterns and the different car brands also offer a lot of variety. “It never gets boring and it is often a technical challenge that can be mastered alone or in a team,” says Hinterkörner.

Speaking of the team: The young woman explains why her employer chose Lucky Car: "Lucky Car is generally a family-run company, and the franchisee at the Linz location also offers a very familiar working environment. You have the feeling of being part of a special company." Kos appeals to all young women who are interested in an automotive apprenticeship: "Don't hesitate to find out about our training opportunities and look out for our internships or open apprenticeships. We train our young people ourselves and would be happy if we had a balanced mix of male and female work power in the workshops in the future." A large number of female colleagues already work in the administrative area at the locations, as do the six women at the Lucky Car headquarters in Vienna.