Young Oldham woman puts the brakes on mechanic misogyny

Britain’s grease monkey business is at a crossroads – with a predicted 160,000 shortfall in mechanics and a backward attitude to women workers.

But award-winning Rubena Begum is determined to put a stop to that – by running training courses for women and young people in car-maintenance skills to build confidence, independence, and self-belief. 

And so impressed were judges from the Oldham Business Awards with her speedy progress so far, that they recently named the 30-year-old their Young Entrepreneur of the Year. 

Following a seven-year stint running her own BMW repair shop, the Westwood wonder woman began her Jacksons MW Academy CIC last year. This despite statistics showing that 92 per cent of those in the industry are male. 

But then Rubena is used to overcoming bumps in the road, having been written off in her childhood and receiving claims from males that she’d never be able to do it. 

“Like many mechanics, I wanted to learn things by being hands-on and not by reading, and so I struggled at school” admits Rubena, “I was sent to a pupil referral unit. Being moved there gave me a chance to reset, but it also made me feel labelled, like my path was already decided.” 

She now recognises that she also fell-in with the wrong crowd, but just in time discovered the joy of tinkering with vehicles – and a passion and successful award-winning career was born. 

“Once I started learning, I fell in love with the work and wanted other women and young people to feel the same confidence that comes from fixing something yourself” confides Rubena, who believes her past troubles made her more resilient. 

Now it is a question of right time, right place for her as the popularity of the electric vehicle has made the push to train mechanics more urgent than ever. 

Rubena added: “Our vision is simple but powerful: to break barriers in a male-dominated industry and empower women and young people with skills for life. 

“By teaching how to check oil, change tyres, replace wipers, and carry out safety checks, we’re not just teaching about cars — we’re building confidence, independence, and pathways into further training or employment.” 

Judges at the Oldham Business Awards were looking for an individual who has shown the desire to succeed and who has the flair and the ambition to make it happen.  

Open to those aged 30 and under on August 31, 2025, the Young Entrepreneur of the Year category sought out the best young business brain in the borough.  

The winner was asked to demonstrate a high degree of entrepreneurship, great potential to succeed, and a well-defined vision for the future. 

And in positively driven Rubena, that is exactly what they got!