Trailblazing Kanedra Gardner motors into world of auto mechanics

With her royal blue overall fitted up to the waist, her hair in a ponytail and a pair of gloves on her delicate hands, Kanedra Gardner wastes no time in joining her stepfather, Christopher Gladslon, at his workstation at his garage in Green Pond, St James.

A customer had complained about a knocking in the engine and the father-daughter duo, having removed it from the car, are taking it apart systematically to diagnose the problem and effect the necessary repairs. Based on what they have been told, there appears to be a problem with the crankshaft.

The 20-year-old Gardner is not convinced that the damage to the engine is major but she is not one to play the guessing game. With tools in hand, she immediately set about removing the bolts.

"I have been in and around the garage since I was about five years old," beamed Gardner.

"My dad's a mechanic, so like ever since I've known myself, I've always been in the garage helping him even though he didn't want me to help him. I was always helping him, learning from him. I was just always around, even when he didn't want me to be there. I was just always there," said Gardner.

Gardner, a Rusea's High School past student, is a certified engine systems technician, having completed training at the Caribbean Military Technical Training Institution (CMTTI) in Montego Bay in 2022. The Jamaica Defence Force-operated institution aims to develop its students' technical skills as well as the values and attitudes that will increase their effectiveness and productivity. The programme's delivery is consistent with the standards of the Technical Vocational Education and Training Institute. Currently skilled in inspecting, maintaining, and restoring motor vehicle engines, Gardner plans to learn how to tune an engine, which could see her attending the Jamaican-German Automotive School.

"It is very fascinating to see how a car works, especially an engine. It is something that I really love and have a strong passion for," Gardner said.

Still, she says the journey has not been easy because as a young woman working in a male-dominated field, she has to contend with some men who believe they know more than she does.

"Women get a lot of fight from men in the industry but I am very determined that no one is going to push me out of this because me born come see it, them born come see it. So, guess what ? The whole a we a guh in there. I might not know everything but I'm still learning and I'll never one day say I know everything. If I'm saying something to somebody about a car or about an engine, and they're being like, 'No! No! No! Nothing nuh guh suh,' I won't fight what they have to say because that's their opinion. ...But if I know I went to school for it, I learnt the technical deep ends of it, if they have something to say I won't fight them about what they have to say," Gardner said.

The young engine systems technician says she is always open to learn from veterans in the field as this can help her to develop a deeper understanding of cars. At the same time, she has urged other women not to be intimidated by the male-dominated nature of the industry.

"Don't mek because of the saying 'this is not a woman's field' you decide that you don't do it because I believe anything a man can do, a woman can most definitely do it as well. We might not have the full strength to do it, but we still can at least tackle it from a different angle. Anything at all that you put your mind to, you most definitely can do it. It just takes a lot of pushing, a little tears here and there, but definitely you can master it for sure," Gardner said.