Midland, MI – Women in Automotive (WIA), a group dedicated to empowering and inspiring females employed in retail automotive, has partnered with Northwood University to help develop the next generation of leaders in the retail industry.
They do this through their annual Women in Automotive Scholarship that will assist Northwood University students who have chosen to study automotive marketing and management. The announcement for the scholarship will be made at the WIA Summer Conference, held in Orlando, Florida June 23rd – 25th. More than 300 thought leaders, including executives from manufacturers, dealers, academics and industry professionals, will be gathered to focus on the importance of human capital in retail automotive.
Women in Automotive was founded by six female industry leaders in partnership with Orlando-based JKR Advertising & Marketing. The group is particularly interested in empowering and developing women in the auto industry. This philosophy benefits both women and dealerships and will help facilitate the training and hiring of more females in dealerships.
In today’s tight job market, the automotive industry realizes the importance of attracting and developing individuals who can build careers in a field that often struggles with female employee retention. As part of its partnership with Northwood, which offers a dedicated Automotive Marketing and Management major, the WIA has provided mentorships to acquaint Northwood students with the business and connect with WIA members. The WIA automotive team has also participated in a series of guest lectures that shares its industry experience, as well as interacting with the students.
“Northwood has over 60 years of history working with the automotive industry, with more than 8,400 graduates employed in that industry sector. We are so pleased to have the WIA as one of our highly regarded partner companies. Ninety-two percent of our program graduates gain employment in the automotive industry, in large part due to the participation of organizations like the WIA that help provide a deeper understanding of industry career options specifically for our female graduates,” said Elgie Bright, faculty chair – automotive marketing and management department.
Attending the WIA June Summer Conference will be several students from the Automotive Marketing and Management program including Northwood student Isabelle Leach who will be receiving the scholarship.
“Since coming to Northwood, I have not only become more confident in my abilities but have become a better version of myself. From the very first day at Northwood, so many doors have been opened up for me in the automotive industry. Without the support of my private donor scholarships, I have been able to be focused entirely on school and my extracurricular activities.” said Leach.