Women in engineering initiative hosted at Vauxhall’s Luton factory

As well as promoting the various careers available at Vauxhall, the five-day initiative seeks to raise the profile of women in engineering and celebrate their achievements, while encouraging female students to consider careers in manufacturing and engineering.

In addition to a visit to the production line in body shop and general assembly, the girls took part in a competition to learn about the processes of lean manufacturing. Working in teams, the students fitted car parts to wooden parts, while meeting quality standards set by the staff at Vauxhall.

The students met various members of the team across all parts of the Vauxhall site, demonstrating the whole range of job roles in manufacturing.

Nikita Tailor, a Maintenance Electrician who began her career at Vauxhall as an apprentice, gave a presentation to explain why she chose an apprenticeship, as well as to show the girls her career journey and a day in the life of her role at the plant.

The Vauxhall team taught the students about the recruitment process and what particular skills are sought after when the company hires apprentices. The group of girls then took part in tasks at the assessment centre, giving them a realistic experience of the job application process.

Finally, the girls visited the ‘blue light’ area, where Vauxhall cars and vans are converted into emergency service vehicles.

Charlotte Maclaren, communications officer at the Luton Plant, said: “After an extremely successful event last year, we were inundated with requests from schools across Luton and booked up within just two days.

“Now in its second year, we are certain that the initiative will once again offer an exciting, engaging and encouraging programme of activities, while providing young girls with a truly invaluable insight into the world of manufacturing and engineering.”

Vauxhall www.vauxhall.co.uk