Sydney school teaches girls life immersion skills like basic car maintenance

Students at Stella Maris College in Manly are now learning car maintenance skills through the school's initiative with Sydney's Galmatic car educator's team. Teenage girls in Year 11 were shown how to efficiently check tyre pressure, monitor oil and coolant levels as well as what to do in case of a car accident. Galmatic had reached out to the school earlier this year in its efforts to help equip Australian women with these vital life skills.

Eleni Mitakos, Director of Training and Development at Galmatic said their all-female specialised team aims to help women and teenagers feel confident and comfortable behind the wheel through their hands-on workshops and online courses.

"We teach up to 100,000 teenagers a year in schools, across all parts of Sydney."

"The primary aim is for teenagers to feel comfortable behind the wheel. Ultimately they are driving very big vehicles which can be very expensive if not looked after properly. We can't stress enough to all our students. You should never ignore a problem with your car, you need to address it for your own safety."

Mitakos has been conducting the classes for 13 years, and offers teenage boys and girls the chance to get their hands greasy and learn the basics of car maintenance which is often not taught in school.

In an article on Daily Mail, Amy Smith, the assistant principal in charge of well-being at the college, shared that the session received very positive feedback from the students and that the girls were able to take away something greatly beneficial from the exercise. With three groups of about 40 girls, they were able to immerse the students in a fun and hands-on event within the school grounds.

"All the teaching staff and our principal Elizabeth Carnegie felt a workshop like this would be beneficial for many reasons, mainly skills the girls need to learn before they leave school," Smith said.

"It was also important to show the girls that they have the capabilities to handle situations themselves once they are on the road, rather than rely on someone else."

According to the Galmatic website, their 2-hour Hands-On Basic Car Maintenance Workshop is open for all ages and requires no prior knowledge. They provide basic and easy car maintenance skills that gets you road ready and confident behind the wheel.