Research is happening in the region to help recruit and retain women in the automotive after-market.
St. Clair College is helping with the research for project AWAKE -- Advancing Women In Automotive Knowledge Exchange.
France Daviault with the Automotive Industries Association of Canada says they want to make this area more appealing to women.
"Understanding of what the challenges are, how did they come into the industry and what has their experiences been since deciding to work in this typically male-dominated industry," she says.
The first phase of the three-year project will be to try and understand why less than 6% of the automotive after-market is made up of women.
"If there's a labour shortage and there is a population of untapped resources -- and we're talking about women -- it just makes good business sense for the industry to take a look at why there aren't more women," says Daviault.
Education needs to start early, she says, by letting young girls know manufacturing is an option.
"I'm not sure that we're doing a great job at giving them a vast array of opportunities," says Daviault. "It's time to change the narrative in society as to what girls should be doing."
