Women’s participation in the Mexican labor market reached 46.3% in 2024 , according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) ; however, there are some sectors that are below average, such as the maintenance and support sector for heavy vehicles.
While women are estimated to have a participation of close to 21% of total jobs in the automotive industry , in the heavy vehicle maintenance and technical support segment it is only 11.5 percent.
In response to this reality, the Technicians and Engineers of the Future program was conceived as part of Scania’s Women Driving Change project , where, according to Alejandro Mondragón, president and CEO of the brand in Mexico, it is the result of the passion for this type of initiative, the support of the entire board , and being aligned with the personal values of the members of the corporation.
Mondragón acknowledged that, as with any corporation, profitability is pursued, but this type of initiative changes paradigms, addresses the reality of the industry that requires skilled talent and that this need will become increasingly profound. Therefore, the objective is to raise awareness in the industry and encourage more companies to participate in these types of actions, and by filling these positions, productivity will be achieved.
Ana Laura Islas Tello, People Development & Sustainable Culture Manager of Scania Mexico, described that the initiative is part of their United Nations Global Compact strategies , and is a business strategy for Scania based on having more diversity of thought, and better products and services.
Starting point
The Technicians and Engineers of the Future program graduated the first nine women of this initiative, who are joining Scania’s maintenance and service activities for, in this case, the northern area of the Valley of Mexico.
Ana Laura Islas acknowledged that the Scania Drivers program identified an area of opportunity in terms of women’s representation, in order to begin building relationships with academia to promote the training of more women in STEM careers (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and in disciplines related to the transportation sector.
This effort involves joint work with the German Technical Cooperation (GIZ) in Mexico, ProSociedad and Grupo CEDVA with the project to reach 15 female technicians and 45 female engineers annually for the next three years .
Islas emphasized that the brand’s entire effort is focused on ensuring that the graduates remain committed to working for Scania , and if they do leave the company, an effort will be made for the benefit of the industry as a whole.
Comprehensive vision
Although the Technicians and Engineers of the Future program aims to train specialists for the automotive industry, the curriculum is comprehensive and complements their technical training.
Therefore, in addition to STEM skills, they also receive soft skills training . “This program complements their academic training, with applications such as leadership workshops, resume writing, and interview preparation. We are becoming advisors for their professional careers ,” highlighted Adriana Davy, Marketing and Communications Manager at Scania Mexico.
“Another topic we talk about a lot is sisterhood. It’s normal for classrooms to be all girls, so sometimes they’re not used to being among women, and this type of training also aims to address emotional issues,” Davy added.
Among other topics, personal finances are addressed , along with advice on managing their resources, because there is an awareness that some of these women may be the economic support of their households.
Although only technicians graduated in this first generation , some are engineering students and the goal is for them to also participate in the other program, which lasts for a year of training instead of three weeks .
For Scania’s executives, the goal is clear: to trigger the participation of more companies and the training of more women with the skills required by the industry, which will also allow them to change their lives and those of their families.
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