BT Fleet Solutions has held an open day to boost the number of girls considering a career in engineering.

The event follows a recent Forward Ladies: Bridging the Gender Gap In Stem 2018 Report that indicated just 14.4% of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce is female.

Hosted by Carol Baxter, customer experience lead in fleet solutions, and organised in partnership with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), the event showcased career opportunities within the automotive industry.

Fourteen Key Stage 4 students from Handsworth Girls Academy, along with representatives from the DWP, were invited to an all-day event split between BT Fleet Solutions' HQ in Solihull and its garage in Hockley, Birmingham.

The girls were given an insight into the business, sitting with advisors while they took calls from customers to get a feel for the job.

They were then taken to BT Fleet Solutions’ garage in Hockley where they were able to gain first-hand experience of a day in the life of a vehicle technician.

Henry Brace, managing director at BT Fleet Solutions, said: “It’s great to see young people so engaged around the opportunities that a career in engineering can bring. I hope this experience is something we can extend to more schools across our garage network locations in the future.”

Antonina Robinson, MBE of the DWP Birmingham and Solihull Jobcentre for Schools, My Choice My Future employability programme, added: “We are proud to have supported Handsworth Wood Girls Academy to engage in this fantastic opportunity with BT Fleet Solutions. The feedback from the pupils is amazing, they learnt so much about career opportunities and gained hands-on experience.”

BT Fleet Solutions is continuing to work in partnership with the DWP to ensure they create the future employees of tomorrow.

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