Southampton: Peter Cooper Group appoints second female mechanic

In a traditionaly male-dominated world, Sam Hopkins has joined Peter Cooper Volkswagen, becoming the second female mechanic in the group for over 30 years. 

The 23-year-old has celebrated her first five years in the trade and believes she is probably the only female mechanic in the region. She said: “There aren’t too many female mechanics around and I’m not too sure why. I worked with one a few years ago but she didn’t last very long.

“There’s a bit of banter between and lads and I in the workshop as you’d expect. I’m the only woman in a 10-strong technician team at the Shirley Road dealership, but I give as good as I get! The team is brilliant and I’m learning a lot as the Peter Cooper Group is giving me a chance to develop through training."

Darren Cooper, group managing director of the Peter Cooper Group, said: “Sam has joined a really talented group of technicians and a very innovative brand in Volkswagen. She was recruited on her high merits and we have enjoyed enrolling her into our team.

"Sam’s rare within our industry and is only our second female technician in over 30 years. Saying that, we have very few female technicians requesting an interview, so we hope her appointment serves to encourage more women mechanics into the industry.”