By Mary Farucci
According to a 2020 study conducted by the U.S. International Trade Commission, women represent only 24 percent of the automotive manufacturing workforce. Jiffy Lube of Indiana is working to bridge the gender gap in a typically male-dominated industry through its “Growing People Through Work” program.
One employee participating in the program is Monica “Mo” Jewell, who joined Jiffy Lube in 2016 as a courtesy technician and is now general manager of the location along U.S. 31 Street near the Westfield and Carmel border.
Jewell, a Kokomo resident, has long had an interest in auto maintenance and repair.
“Cars were kind of a thing for us growing up,” Jewell said. “My dad’s dad was a mechanic in town and all of his kids, except for my dad actually, were a part of his business there. It wasn’t always something the granddaughters got invited out to, we wanted to, but we just weren’t there. But I always tinkered around cars growing up, and my mom made sure that me and my sister – before we had our (driver’s) licenses – knew the basics about a vehicle.”
Through the company’s “Growing People Through Work” program, Jewell has had the opportunity to further develop and hone her skills, expand her knowledge and continue to grow and reach professional goals within the automotive industry.
“Today and over the last 10 years or so, it’s just been a real influx of women in the workplace for us and it’s been great,” Jiffy Lube Director of Operations Rodney Brown said. “We have a number of female technicians, female assistant managers and a number of female managers in the company.”
Jewell has a message for any young woman who sees a future working in the automotive industry.
“Don’t let anything limit you,” she said. “No matter what the world tells you, if you put your mind to it then you can do anything you want to do. You don’t have to limit yourself to anything.”
Growing People Through Work
The Growing People Through Work program offers:
- $5,000 loans for managers who are first time homebuyers to use as a down payment.
- Tuition reimbursement and college scholarships for employees’ children.
- Seminars with experts, designed to coach employees on financial literacy, health and wellness, and attitude/pride-in-work.
- A Jiffy Lube Cares Fund has provided more than $500,000 in no-interest loans to employees for emergency situations.
