This International Women’s Day, we’re shining a light on women that do traditionally male-dominated roles – finding out about their career stories to inspire other women interested in taking the same path.

We caught up with Rhiannon Battensby, one of our apprentice technicians. Rhiannon is training to be a MET (Mechanical, Electrical and Trim) technician, and learning to assess and repair damaged vehicles at our Sunderland repair centre.

What team do you work on, and what are your current goals?

I am part of MET. My current goal is to achieve success in my apprenticeship and learn all the key information to succeed in this field in the future.

What does your day-to-day typically look like at Activate Repair?

My day typically starts with catching up on what jobs me and my mentor (Karl) will be working on. We are given different jobs which vary from large to small MET tasks. We always have a laugh while we’re working, and a big part of my day is having fun, but also making sure we get the jobs done to a great standard.

What inspired you to pursue this career?

I have always loved anything to do with mechanics and cars, I knew once I left school that I wanted to pursue a career working with cars.

How do you see your career developing in the future at Activate Repair?

I hope to be a fully qualified MET technician and be able to take on any task that is given to me.

What’s a challenge you’ve faced, and how did you overcome it?

I think one challenge I’ve faced within my career is taking that first step into a workshop of 20 men. It was quite intimidating, but everyone made me feel part of the team and I wouldn’t swap the lads for anything now.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Learning new things! I want to know everything there is to know about the trade.

What’s your proudest career achievement so far?

When my mentor was off for a day, I took on his jobs under the supervision of another technician.
I was able to complete every job that was given to me thanks to everything my mentor has taught me.

What advice would you give to people (and especially women) wanting to enter this field?

I think the best advice I can give is if you are really passionate about this career then you just have to take that first step and it’ll pay off.