PMM ’s Freya Coleman continues her series of articles showcasing women in the workshop with a chat with the IMI’s Student of the Year – Trinity Hutley. Trinity talks about her experiences with dyslexia and how it has changed the way she approaches the job.
Hi Trinity, could you start by telling me why you chose to train as a technician?
I attended an open evening at my local college, I had a look around and finally came to the motor vehicle workshop. I spoke to the tutors and my mother asked questions, but we weren’t too sure this was the course for me. After attending three more open days and tapping into my love of motorcycles I applied for the maintenance course. I had been working on motorbikes from a very young age and had been to bike shows and races. I really wanted a challenge. I didn’t want to sit behind a desk forever and, having a visual and kinaesthetic learning style, I knew that was the place I needed to be. Now I’m a technician at Barnfield, I enjoy working with the different types of learners, I enjoy learning new ways of assisting them with their written and practical tasks. I enjoy developing my knowledge and understanding of the motor vehicle industry every day.
I understand you have dyslexia, something you share with many in the industry, as we discovered in the last issue of PMM. What challenges has that posed for you in your career so far?
I have had to adapt my way of thinking, revise everything all the time, go over things until the light bulb came on for the 10th time. I’ve had to practice practical tasks repeatedly and consolidate my learning in every way possible. I’ve had to deal with gaps in my memory and learn how to fill them repeatedly. I’ve learnt how to cope with processing and understanding information as quickly as everyone else. I need to wake up early and go to bed late just to complete one assignment.
How difficult is being a female in the automotive industry?
Throughout college I was greatly outnumbered, I was the only girl in the motor vehicle department. I watched my peers apply for the same jobs as me and hear back in a short time whereas I wouldn’t hear anything at all. I watched them grasp the course quicker than I did because they worked in the industry. My male peers are given opportunities outside of college that I could only dream of. I believe there are opportunities for women in the industry but when 16 per cent of employees in the automotive industry are female and the other 84% are male, it’s difficult for women to get their foot in the door. I have applied for main dealers, parts suppliers, garages and valeting companies over my four years of studying and I did not once get offered an interview. I believe there are amazing opportunities out there, I have been given the biggest opportunity of my life, I have a way of growing and developing, but it was only because someone offered me an interview. I believe that opportunity is out there but getting in the door is harder than people think. I feel that a lot of females attempting to be a part of this industry change career paths because they are not offered the same opportunities or because men are often offered higher positions. 50% of women leave the automotive industry altogether due to lack of promotion opportunities.
What are your plans now you have won the IMI Fellowship Bursary?
I can develop my knowledge and gain another qualification and continue doing what I love. Ultimately, I would like to go from technician to tutor. My goal is to shape the future of the industry from the root and teach level 1 and eventually progress to teaching level 3.
