REACH Award winner Georgina 'breaks down gender stereotypes' on Motor Vehicle apprenticeship

Despite initially expressing outdated reservations about taking Georgina on, her employer John Ellis, of Mike Wilson Motors, now admits he would have 10 more like her on his workforce if he could!

Georgina’s talent and emergence as a role model and inspiration for other young women wanting to make their mark in the motor vehicle industry was recognised at the 2026 York College REACH Awards when, from a field of more than 7,000 students and apprentices, she was presented with the prestigious Principal’s Prize.

Still only 20, Georgina also secured her HGV licence during her apprenticeship and won races as a grasstrack motorbike competitor and sidecar passenger. 

There is no hiding from the fact that the industry Georgina is now working in as a qualified mechanic remains male dominated.

During her two years of study at College, she only encountered one other female apprentice.  

Attitudes are changing, though, and not only in Killinghall, near Harrogate, where Mike Wilson Motors are based.

Whether intentionally or not, Georgina’s apprenticeship achievements are part of that drive to forge greater opportunities for young women in the profession and that’s something she understandably derives a lot of satisfaction from.

“It makes me feel proud that I'm being seen as doing that,” Georgina admitted. “It means I’m doing something right and I’m hoping I can inspire more people to just go for it.

“That would be my advice to any woman thinking about doing what I am. There's always a space for you, because they'll always be jobs that need to be filled.

“There are even jobs that come in that are more suited to me specifically because, with my size, I can get into smaller spaces. I know John was stopped in his tracks a bit when I was recommended to him and, then, he learned I was a girl.

“But, when I went in and did three days as a paid trial, I think he was impressed with me and how I just got stuck in straight away and, since then, there's been no mention of my gender.

“It's made no difference to me whatsoever. I felt accepted straight away and we have a good laugh, and all help each other out as well.” 

On how Georgina changed his views for the better, John confessed: “When I was asked to take on Georgina, I wasn’t sure because she was a girl, but how wrong was I? I would have 10 more like her if I could. 

“At first, she was very quiet and didn’t want to answer the phone and talk to customers but now we can’t shut her up! Our customers love her and ask for her when they come in. 

“We trust her 110%. If she says something is done, it’s done - no questions asked.” 

Georgina’s College tutor Neil Wilkinson, meanwhile, added: “She is a true ambassador for women in the motor trade, breaking down gender stereotypes. I hope she can inspire more women to dare to dream, too, if they have a love for motorsport like her.”

Illustrating how she was treated no differently to a male apprentice during her training, Georgina explains how she was fully challenged by her employers, who quickly recognised her capacity for problem solving and learning.

On her apprenticeship duties, she said: “I did stuff from simple services to replacing timing belts towards the end. My boss would give me a job and it would be a case of him saying, ‘Off you go, work it out’. 

“Even if it was going to take me all day, I was encouraged to just give it a go. He wanted me to get my teeth into everything, within reason, because he could see what my capabilities were and knew that I'd figure it out some way.” 

And, if there was ever an issue Georgina could not resolve on her own, she always knew where she could reach out for support.

“My time in College helped quite a lot because there would be times where I'd be at work and doing a job that I’d just covered in College, or I could be doing a job that I might not be too sure about so, when I went into College, I could ask my tutors about what I could have done and what would have helped,” she explained. 

“Also, because we use (Microsoft) Teams at College, I was able to message Neil if I was ever stuck on a job at work. He’s worked at Honda and Hyundai so, when there were specific things related to those vehicles that none of us at work could wrap our heads around, I could ask Neil questions and get information from him.

“The tutors have got hands-on experience, which is really helpful and quite a lot of it is recent. They’ve either just finished in the industry or are still working in it part-time, so their knowledge is relevant to what we're experiencing as well.” 

John chose to enrol Georgina at York College for the educational element of her apprenticeship, having been impressed with our facilities after completing an electrical vehicle evening course as a student himself.

“He said the workshop was much better and bigger here than what he’d seen at other colleges,” Georgina added. “In fact, in essence, we have two workshops here with ramps.”

She subsequently became the second in her cohort to complete her apprenticeship studies, contributing to the “nice shock” she was given at our REACH Awards Ceremony, held at York Racecourse in June.

“I was really shocked to get the Principal’s Award, because I didn't even really know it was a thing, but it was a nice shock,” she declared. “I just knew I was up for Apprentice of the Year and, when I didn’t get that, I didn’t work out that I might win that one, even though I was on the same table as the Principal and the Mayor of York!”

Having left Rossett School in Harrogate, Georgina went on to complete a vocational motor vehicle course.

The apprenticeship opportunity arose when she was suggested to John by a family friend - the owner of the yard where Mike Wilson Motors is located.

She subsequently started her apprenticeship three days after her 18^th birthday and loved it from the beginning.

“I enjoyed the hands-on experience of my apprenticeship and all the people I’ve met along the way,” she enthused. “I’ve made a lot of friends through doing the apprenticeship and going to college.

“You make friends easier with people who are in the same industry as you and you learn from them as well.” 

On the importance of what she has learned, meanwhile, Georgina pointed out: “I’ve picked up a lot of skills on both the practical side and the theory side, including research and learning all the different procedures to carry out specific tasks. A lot of it is about using the technical data that you get given. 

“You have different data providers like Autodata, Infopro Digital and Haynes and they have manufacturer specific information to tell you how to take out certain parts and do certain procedures. That makes sure you’re doing things the right way rather than going off Google or YouTube!”

Alongside her apprenticeship and racing commitments, Georgina also took up the opportunity to fulfil an ambition to “fill her licence”, as she trained to be a professional HGV driver with the aid of a Government grant.

“I’ve got my car licence and bike licence and have always wanted to fill my licence,” she explained. “To get your licence, you have to pass a medical and do your theory test, which has some perception in it. 

"Then, if you want to drive professionally, you’ve got to do your CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence) as well. You drive a wagon and pick up trailers from Tockwith. 

“You have to hook up the trailer and, then, do a reversing test. Then, once you’ve done that, you’re able to put in for your driving test.

“I did it in a week block with Wetherby Training, so I was out all week driving and, then, did my test on the Friday. It’s kind of just like the same process as doing your car test, but in a massive wagon! 

“I think I'll do a bit of it in the future because my boyfriend's dad has got his own wagon and works as a mechanic for a wagon company, so we're always hanging around there as well.” 

Georgina’s biggest passion outside of work remains motorbikes and motor racing.

Coming from a family of enthusiasts, she first rode a bike at the age of six and loves enduro practice days through woods.

She also races her motocross bike in grasstrack competitions around oval circuits – a sport she describes as “like speedway on random farmer’s fields”. 

Mainly competing in the local season held at Pickering, Georgina started out in the GT140 pit engine introductory class three years ago and has claimed victories in handicap grasstrack races, where the field are set off in reverse order.

She is now progressing on to 350cc and 500cc contests and, recently, even won a race “hanging off the side” of a 1000cc sidecar, where speeds can reach up to 70 miles per hour.

“My dad used to race grasstrack as did my older brother,” Georgina said. “They plonked me on a bike from the age of six and I just used to go around a field. 

“Then, as I got older, I’d do more technical stuff. You do crash, but I think you’re not trying hard enough if you don’t!

“We mainly race in Pickering, because I like to support our local track but we could venture further afield to places like Kent, Essex and Cornwall next year. You can race grasstrack in Europe, too, and get paid. 

“I’m adding speed all the time and it would be nice to be good enough and have the money in the bank and the backing to do a couple of races over there, just for the experience. We're also going to try and give speedway a go as well, just to see what it's like over the winter when the fields are too wet for grasstrack. I’m looking forward to that!”

Carrying out maintenance work on her own bikes has also seen Georgina acquire transferable skills that she can apply to her day job.

“Looking after and working on my bikes does actually help with the older cars and classic cars that come into work because a lot of them run on carburettors, so it kind of crosses over,” she explained. “I can learn stuff from the classic cars that I can apply to my bikes and vice versa. 

“The tuning of the carbs is similar and, when I first started my apprenticeship, we had an old Mustang in that was leaking from the carb, so I took it home, cleaned it all out, rebuilt it, then brought it back to work the next day and the leak was fixed!”

On her career ambitions now she is a full-time employee at Mike Wilson Motors, Georgina said: “I want to get my MOT certificate, so I can do MOT tests and, then, just see what other qualifications I can get along the way. I'd like to stay where I am because we do such a variety of stuff and I learn so much every day as we never have similar cars in.”

To learn more about our Level 3 Motor Vehicle Service & Maintenance Technician apprenticeship, click here

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