Dream made true for seven-year-old who was told she couldn’t be a mechanic

Mia Hosking treated to workshop experience after her dad reached out for support from female technicians

Dream made true for seven-year-old who was told she couldn’t be a mechanic
Mia Hosking's dreams came true when she got to be a mechanic at Protyre alongside female mechanic's Nikki Ham and Hannah Shaw. Image: Paul Slater/PSI.

Seven-year-old Mia Hosking from Plymouth has been given a taste of life as a mechanic after it emerged that she was told she couldn’t become a mechanic because she was a girl.

MyCarNeedsA.com, comparison website for car aftercare, teamed up with Mia’s local Protyre garage and the Plymouth Herald, which originally broke the story to the press, to make her mechanic dreams come true.

Mia was welcomed at the garage by the local Protyre team, as well as two of Protyre’s own female mechanics Nikki Ham and Hannah Shaw, and Julie Jones from ProVQ, Protyre’s apprentice provider.

The young car enthusiast was given her own set of overalls and a tour of the workshop.

Encouraging industry careers

Image: Paul Slater/PSI.

The visit is part of a move by Protyre to encourage more women to pursue careers in the automotive trade, a move that’s backed by MyCarNeedsA.com.

Speaking after her visit, Mia said: “It was so cool coming to the garage to see all the mechanics and their tools.

“I loved getting my own uniform too – it was the best.”

Mia’s father, David Hosking, said, “Mia was given so much encouragement and support when we called out for other female mechanics to share their stories.

“She has really enjoyed today, seeing how the garage works and how other women are excelling in these roles.”

Inspiration

Scott Hamilton of MyCarNeedsA.com said: “When we saw Mia’s story, we wanted to reach out and show her that young women have every opportunity of achieving their dreams in the automotive trade.

“It’s wonderful that she is so enthusiastic and passionate about the career she wants, so inviting her for a tour with one of our service providers was just a small token of our support.

“We hope that Mia’s story inspires lots of girls across the country to dream big and pursue a career in the automotive industry.”

Hannah, a tyre fitter for Elmbridge Tyres – Team Protyre centre in Swadlincote, said: “I got into tyre fitting by chance.

“I have always been a hands-on person that loves to work outside.

“I have worked as a farmer all my life alongside my family.

“The job for a tyre fitter came up and I thought ‘why not? I enjoy physical work so I’ll give it a try’.

“Four years on I absolutely love it.

“I understand the stigmatism and pressure attached to women entering this field of work, but I’ve never looked back.”

Related: Schoolgirl told dreams of being mechanic won’t come true due to gender

Protyre in Plymouth is part of the UK network of MyCarNeedsA.com, a service that offers motorists across the country the chance to get a range of quotes for local, quality, approved work on their cars.

For further information about MyCarNeedsA.com, select ‘more details’ below.

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