I have always loved cars.

I fondly recall spending hours of fun with my uncle's Matchbox toys. Back then I'd be branded a tomboy but why shouldn't women express an interest in wheels?

For years we've put up with the cliches from men about women being bad drivers. Now we're taking them on at their own game.

More females are presenting petrol head-style programmes on TV and, apparently, women are the driving force in decisions when it comes to investing in the family transport.

Just because you're female doesn't mean you have to call a man when you're having problems with your motor. Today's independent women want to tackle things themselves, and while we take care of our hands and nails and don't necessarily want to get our smart suits dirty, it doesn't mean we can't tinker under the bonnet to top up the water, check the oil or find a solution to a simple problem when the need arises.

And that is why I decided to take the bull by the horns and try out a car maintenance session - for women, of course!

For some years City Training Services, a Government-funded scheme to provide apprenticeship training in all manner of trades in Bradford, has been offering automotive education for students. What makes this venture unique is the acquisition of a former garage, kitted out with all the state-of-the-art equipment modern-day garages require, providing the perfect classroom/working environment for training.

The garage, re-branded last year as City Training Services' Automotive Centre, is nestled among other motor traders in Valley Parade's commercial quarter. Upstairs are the classrooms where mechanics are given the educational tools through visual aids on state-of-the-art cinema-size Smart screens. These enable interactive learning. Trust me, it's all singing and dancing stuff here!

Once they have mastered the basics through theory and, of course, had the benefit of the knowledge from professional tutors such as Martin Bright, my mentor for the morning, they can be let loose, sorry, practise their skills in the garage.

The thought of tinkering under a bonnet and wielding a spanner got me a little excited.

The first hour was devoted to learning how it all works with Martin, a mechanic with more than 25 years' experience.

He explains about my dash warning lights and tells me what they mean. He explains the importance of checking lights and bulbs and those all-important tyres so I know whether they're legal or illegal. We chat about battery care, and then comes the action...how to jack up and change a wheel.

Firstly though I have to look round my temporary workplace so I'm given a guided tour of the repair and spray bay. This is where the cars City Training acquire through motor trade contacts are brought for training purposes.

Some have been written off following accidents. These are ideal for students practising their body repair skills. A narrow room off the repair bay is stacked with every conceivable paint for every make of car. There are thousands of them and recipe cards too to achieve the perfect shade. It's amazing and a motor mechanic's heaven.

One of the students is tinkering with a Land-Rover Discovery. The once red and unroadworthy 4x4 has been given a silver spray and is in the process of being made mechanically sound to become the Automotive Centre's promotional vehicle.

Among a few saloons are the chassis of a couple of soon-to-be sporty kit cars known in the trade as MKs. One of the students tells me these are useful projects as they enable them to combine many of the skills they learn here, sourcing donor parts from another breed of car to designing braking and lighting systems for these racy wheels. "It pulls all the qualification together in one project," he explains.

I'm astounded by the facilities they have. "It's a real hidden gem," says Simon Ashdown, whose job it is to promote the place as business development manager for City Training Services.

"And the opportunities are endless," he adds.

Talking of opportunities I'm whisked into reception where I don my rather snazzy navy blue overalls and my not-so-nice latex gloves to do a bit of under bonnet tinkering myself.

Over in the service bay I get to grips with the workings of a Y-reg Vauxhall Vectra LS. Martin tells me a motor trade pal sourced this through the auctions for the school. It is roadworthy - well, until I get under the bonnet!

Martin shows me how to check the oil. I know how to do this but for training purposes I'll pretend I don't! Taking hold of the dipstick I pull it out and wipe it clean then put it back into the tank. I remove it again so I can see from the levels on the stick whether or not it needs topping up. It's a bit low so we'll replenish. The wiper wash looks okay. "What about the power steering?" asks Martin.

Forgive my ignorance, but I thought that was to do with the steering wheel mechanism. Typical woman', I hear you cry!

Anyway, thanks to Martin I now know there's a little tank under the bonnet where you top up your power steering fluid. "You learn something new every day!" laughs Martin.

It's great knowing where everything is and learning what you should and shouldn't touch.

A series of plugs caught my eye. Maybe I can tinker with those. Martin frowns. He tells me if you pull those out you risk interfering with the car's codes, in other words the radio, and probably many of the electrical workings would have to be re-set. I have an urge to grasp a spanner and screw a few bolts. The problem with modern-day motor mechanics is it's all computerised.

"Diagnostics tells you what is wrong with it, but you still have to get your hands dirty!" laughs Simon.

That's a little advanced for the females who will be coming to these sessions, although demand has prompted the organisers to consider running advanced sessions in future. "We've been inundated," says Simon.

He believes women's interest is fuelled by the fact that they have always been seen in a customer-facing role within the motor trade industry. "I think women are under-resourced. It's always been a male domain to fix the car but many women want to be empowered to do it themselves," he said.

How right he is. I came away with a little more knowledge but, more importantly, I gleaned an insight into a fantastic resource for training Bradford's mechanics of the future.

  • The next sessions are on Wednesday March 21, and Wednesday March 28, running from 6pm to 8pm. For more information call City Training Services on (01274) 728316.