Work experience week inspires female students to consider careers in automotive industry
14 female students from MK College took part in a week-long work experience event with Steven Eagell Group, Europe’s leading Toyota and Lexus retailer. The event was held to inspire female students to pursue a career in the automotive industry, highlighting the benefits of working in this dynamic and fast-evolving sector.
The week kicked off with a workshop hosted at Steven Eagell Group head office. The students experienced a deep dive into the Steven Eagell Group and listened to talks from and engaged in a Q&A with female members of staff working for the Group, as well as taking part in a Careers Workshop where they received advice on interview skills, CVs, LinkedIn and much more.
The students then visited the company’s Lexus Milton Keynes dealership, where they received a tour of the branch, experienced some of the brand’s latest models and took part in a range of interactive games and activities designed to develop and test their knowledge.
For the remainder of the week, the students took part in work experience placements in different departments across the business, including marketing, accounts and customer services, as well as in sales and service roles at the company’s Toyota and Lexus branches. The work experience placements enabled the students to gain hands-on experience, while developing their skills, knowledge and understanding.
The Steven Eagell Group Work Experience Week was held as part of the Automotive 30% Club’s Work Experience for Women campaign, in which members each developed their own initiatives to provide work experience opportunities to women. The campaign aims to encourage women into roles not previously considered, increase their confidence and dispel myths about working in the automotive industry.
Gary Smith, Managing Director of Steven Eagell Group, commented: “We were thrilled to have the opportunity to welcome 14 talented young women from MK College into our business, providing them with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and explore the wide variety of opportunities available in the sector.
“We’re committed to continuing to work towards creating a business that attracts, retains and nurtures the top female talent in the industry, fostering a diverse workforce that’s better equipped to meet the challenges of the future. To achieve this, it’s vital that we play our part in reshaping the perception of the automotive industry, while demonstrating to young women just starting out in their careers that this is a sector in which they can thrive. This was our first event of this kind and we hope it has inspired those who attended to consider pursuing a career at Steven Eagell Group.”
Jim Nowell from Milton Keynes College commented: “At Milton Keynes College, we’re committed to delivering Fairer Futures so when Steven Eagell Group approached us to take part in their initiative to encourage more women and girls to consider careers in the automotive industry, we were very excited to take part. Our students were thoroughly engaged in learning about the Steven Eagell Group, the wider automotive industry and the individual departments for their placements. We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone at Steven Eagell Group for involving the College in this fantastic initiative, and we hope we can work together again very soon”.