Hudson Valley Sees Surge of Women in Automotive Programs

November 14, 2024

Hudson Valley Community College’s Applied Technologies Department has reached a record number of female students in automotive technology degree and certificate programs. In total, 12 women are enrolled in automotive-related majors this fall, the highest percentage of female students the college has seen in its history and a positive indicator for the future workforce.

Hudson Valley offers several automotive programs, including Automotive Management A.A.S., Automotive Technical Services A.O.S., Automotive Technical Services-Autobody Repair A.O.S., and Electric and Autonomous Vehicles A.O.S. and Certificate. There are 155 students enrolled in these programs this fall, meaning female students currently make up 8.4% of the automotive department’s population.

“I am proud of the strides that we are making in recruiting and enrolling more female students in programs with a historically male demographic,” said Officer in Charge Louis Coplin. “Increasing access, diversity and inclusivity in every area of the college is a critical part of our mission. Though the college’s student body is 53 percent female, seeing an incremental increase of women in automotive programs is a noteworthy shift that will be greatly beneficial to our workforce partners.”

In Department Chair of Applied Technologies Chris McNally’s nearly three decades of experience in the Automotive Department, he has never seen this percentage of women in automotive-related programs. “Many of the Applied Technologies programs, including our automotive programs, have historically been male-dominated,” said McNally. “Through conversations with graduates and current students, as well as nationally recognized experts in attracting and retaining female students into STEM programs, we have actively worked to make these programs more welcoming to female students.”

“It’s been great to see female students working in the labs alongside their male colleagues and joining forces to develop study groups and support systems amongst themselves. We know the workforce is in need of qualified technicians and adding more women to the automotive field benefits us all. As we say, a wrench can’t detect gender,” McNally added.

To learn more about HVCC’s automotive programs, visit the college’s Applied Technologies Department webpage.