THE Lord Mayor of Birmingham will be in Redditch this Saturday, July 20, visiting the UK’s first all-girl MechaniX course backed by the Haynes Publishing Group.
Haynes is famous for its ‘how-to’ car manuals and the course is being delivered by Vehicle Inspection and Training Services (VIATS) of Astwood Bank Business Park.
Councillor Mohammed Azim and the Lady Mayoress, Ms Bushra Bi will be there to see nine members of the 35th Birmingham Girls Brigade who have set themselves the challenge of renovating an old Volkwagen T4 van into a swish coffee van to accompany events taking place at the Northfield Baptist Church in Northfield, where the Brigade is based.
The course is designed to equip participants, aged 15 to 19 with the self-reliance and confidence that comes from developing mechanical skills.
It also contains a strong educational aspect as students will work toward attaining an Entry Level 3 Award for the Introduction to Motor Vehicle Industry and Technologies from the Institute of the Motor Industry.
“We’re actually based in Redditch although this will be the first one we’ve delivered here although we are on our tenth project down in London,” said project co-ordinator Paul Lawry.
VIATS director Dani Rathka is a woman with vast experience in motor mechanics. She said: “I think it’s quite important girls know how to so things like this, as this is the generation that will be getting their driving licences soon.
“We go beyond the bare minimum and show that yes, we can fix stuff ourselves, and it’s great that the Lord Mayor and his consort will be here to see us.”
The MechaniX course, backed by Haynes, is not just for girls. To find out more, visit www.mechanix.org.uk.
