Women In High Demand In Male-Dominated Auto Technician Industry

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — More women are driving their way into the auto repair industry, creating more opportunities for them, and a different experience for customers.

Lisette Tovar is less than a month away from graduating from the automotive technician program at Universal Technical Institute.

"The fact that I can be able to fix something that somebody else really can't figure out, it's all like a puzzle to me, so it makes it that much more fun," she said.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says less than two percent of auto technicians and mechanics are women.

UTI's newest class has a school-record 55 women in it.

"We have a tremendous untapped population of females out there that don't see this as the traditional career path," said UTI Sacramento President Roger Speer.

The school wants to recruit more women, since auto technicians are in demand. The jobs pull in a median wage of $43,000 a year.

"Our employers love our female graduates, so, they really bringing something to them that traditionally male population doesn't bring," Speer said.

Ryan Scott's company, RDO Equipment, has hired a woman out of UTI, and wants to see more diversity.

"I think a lot of people come in and they're a little surprised and they're like 'wow,' but they appreciate seeing it," he said. "It's been such a man-driven industry for so long, a lot of people just expect to see men in it. So, to see a female working on a car, I think it's a good thing."

Tovar thinks female technicians like her will make other women more comfortable when they bring their car in for repairs.

"To feel like you'd be able to gain a trust, that they'll be able to trust me over a male," she said. "I'm not putting them down or anything."

She received four job offers and accepted one with a major truck manufacturer in Texas.