Even if you own a car, do you know how to change the oil, check the air filter, or what to do if a light comes on in the dash?
Mechanical engineer Petra Ohrt, 55, found this was especially true for women. So she decided to do something about it, teaming up with facilitator Rachel Goldlust to launch the Car Club for Women and Non-Binary Folk.
The club offers two-day courses held at CERES in Melbourne, where Petra covers the fundamentals of owning and maintaining a car. The first day demystifies car talk, car tools and how to find and fix bits and pieces in the car. She then gives participants homework to read their car manuals and get under the hood of their own cars before they return the following week.
On the second day, participants dive into the inner workings of a car. They’ll learn about all the parts of an engine and what they all do. They also learn how to change tyres, windscreen wipers, light bulbs, check fluids, air filters, and how to do a jump start. To finish off, they’ll learn how to determine if a car is in good nick or a lemon.
“The part of the workshop I think is the funniest is when we role play an inspection. We take someone’s car from the course, and we pretend we’re the buyers,” says Petra. The inspection covers things such as corrosion on the battery connectors, foam in the oil canister, the age of the tyres and cracks and chips in the windscreen.
Petra believes that arming women with this sort of knowledge gives them the confidence to understand car talk and not get ripped off, whether they’re buying a car or taking their car to the mechanic.
“The point of the course is that women can bring their car to a mechanic and have the knowledge and the words and they can talk to the mechanic about stuff. When he’s talking about an alternator or starter engine, they know what he’s talking about.”
Growing up in Germany with a mechanic father, Petra was exposed to mechanics from an early age. She started learning how to repair bicycles, then a moped, motorbikes, and eventually began a mechanic apprenticeship.
As one of only two women in the cohort of 50 apprentices, and then again one of only two women in her mechanical engineering degree at university, she has always been passionate about trying to encourage women to join the industry.
“When I was at university, I went into high schools and promoted women in engineering jobs. I was always doing something to encourage women to get into trades, do mechanical things or study engineering,” she says.
A 2021 study found that unfortunately, the numbers haven’t changed much. The Workplace Gender Equality Agency found that women make up just 20% of the automotive workforce, and only 3 per cent of the surveyed women were automotive technicians working in the industry.
While the Women’s Car Club is just a two-day course, it may just be the type of judgement-free environment that women need to launch a new hobby or career. Petra recalls one participant in her 40s who had purchased an old car that she wanted to restore. Her passion was evident, and after learning the basics she was excited to go on to do a mechanic apprenticeship to learn further skills such as panel beating and welding.
Even if most of the participants don’t go on to become mechanics, Petra hopes what women take away from the course is the mindset of trying to fix something – anything – themselves.
“It’s not just about fixing cars, it’s daring to try something and having the confidence to fix other things themselves.”
If you’re interested in joining the Car Club for Women and Non-Binary Folk, check out the details on the CERES website.
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