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Local event promotes car maintenance skills to women

Oct 3, 2018 | 5:15 PM

 

MEDICINE HAT, AB – An event at a local tire shop is trying to destroy the stigma that women don’t know much about cars.

Come Thursday night, ladies will be getting together at the Box Springs Kal Tire to learn some of the basics around their vehicles.

With the help of sparkling wine and appetizers, the idea is to make car maintenance a little more bearable, and promote more self-sufficiency.

“There should be more knowledge,” says Jalen Mckenzie, sales associate at Kal Tire. “There’s kind of a stereotypical thing that women don’t know anything about cars but I think it’s really important to learn so you don’t have to depend on anyone else and you can do it yourself.”

The main skill being taught is how to change a tire, including skills like how to rotate a spare, jack up a vehicle, check air pressure and basic mechanical knowledge.

Being able to change a tire in Alberta’s sporadic climate can come in handy at any moment, but one Kal Tire customer says being more aware about vehicles can help women in every day life.

“It’s very handy so you’re not getting taken advantage of or just for your own knowledge so you know what you’re doing,” says Heather Oakes. “It can save you a lot of money sometimes.”

According to Stats Canada, in 2016, women only represented about 14 percent of the automotive repair and maintenance industry in Canada.

However, the stigma around women pursuing automotive careers is dwindling, and events like this are pushing for change.

“Myself being a women, I didn’t know anything about vehicles until I started working at Kal Tire,” says Samantha Mitchell, event organizer. “I always had my husband do that sort of thing, but it’s definitely important as a women to able to look after yourself.”

The event is already more than half full.

To RSVP, contact the Box Spring Kal Tire.