North Carolina Technician Partners With Local Shops to Host Car Workshops for Women
After pursuing her own dream of becoming an auto repair technician, Zoe Carmichael is now partnering with North Carolina shops to attract more women to careers in the field, reports ABC11.
A North Carolina native, Carmichael’s journey began after high school, when she taught herself to repair a Volkswagen Beetle. The experience made her realize how satisfying it was to restore something with her own two hands.
“It's really empowering to be able to fix something with your hands and have it work at the end,” said Carmichael.
This led to her attending Wake Technical Community College, and later getting her bachelor's in Automotive Restoration at McPherson College. She worked as a technician for five years before she became motivated to launch a course on basic automotive maintenance, with an emphasis on encouraging women to engage in automotive repair.
As the idea grew, Carmichael decided to share her vision on Reddit with others in the Triangle area a couple of months ago.
“From my own experience, I know that women are either discouraged from learning about cars or never had the opportunity,” wrote Carmichael. “Thus, my mission would be women-focused, but really open to everyone.”
Hundreds of people replied, saying they would be interested in enrolling immediately, shared Carmichael.
Her dream is now a reality: Carmichael held her first session on April 5. Not only did attendees receive instruction from a professional technician, but were able to learn in an actual auto repair shop, Cary Automotive Repair and Service.
Carmichael plans to hold more classes in the future, and to build a community uplifting women with an interest in the trades.
“I hope to build a really nice community around women in trades and women in more male-dominated things, so you don't get weird looks when you're in the parts store, and it's really more normalized than it is today,” said Carmichael.
