The launch of Skills England by the Prime Minister and Education Secretary on 22 July has been hailed as a positive move by automotive sector recruiter Easy2Recruit. However, CEO and founder Ambi Singh is reminding the garage sector that ramping up apprenticeships will take time, and that the sector will need to look more widely to fill staffing shortages for some time to come.
ATS Euromaster is expanding its successful apprenticeship programme to address the continuing skills shortage in the sector. The company’s investment in training and upskilling has already proven successful, with more apprentices remaining with the company after course completion since the programme was launched in 2022.
The Independent Garage Association (IGA) “enthusiastically welcomes” the recent announcement from the Prime Minister’s Office unveiling a comprehensive reform package aimed at strengthening small businesses across the UK. The IGA notes with satisfaction that concerns previously expressed to MP Robert Halfron, minister for Skills, Apprenticeships, and Higher Education, have been addressed in the recent announcement and commends the government’s commitment to fostering apprenticeships and reducing regulatory burdens, recognising the significant positive impact these measures will have on the automotive sector.
According to new analysis from the automotive industry’s professional body, the IMI, the first quarter of the current academic year saw a significant milestone in automotive apprenticeships. With the highest number of new enrolments since before the Covid-19 pandemic, starts have seen a 9 per cent rise compared to the 2022-23 academic year. “This uplift indicates a renewed interest in both the automotive sector generally and apprenticeships as an entry route, both of which are critical to build the talent pipeline for the future”, explained Emma Carrigy, Research Manager at the IMI.
With the automotive sector facing a growing skills crisis, the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) is launching a game-changing campaign to shift widespread perceptions and showcase the vast array of opportunities for school leavers, graduates and career changers alike. ‘There’s More to Motor’, previewed at the British Motor Show ahead of the launch of a digital advertising campaign in September, will focus on the regions with the biggest vacancies.
With students receiving the results of their A-Level and GCSE courses, the National Franchised Dealers Association is launching a new campaign, #chooseautomotive, aimed at highlighting the rewarding career paths within the automotive sector. Sue Robinson, Chief Executive of the NFDA, said: “Our industry has often been underestimated, yet it offers a wide range of diverse and exciting career avenues that promise a rewarding career path. It’s time we debunk the old misconceptions surrounding our industry. This sector stands as a gateway to fulfilling careers, offering numerous apprenticeships across diverse sectors, ensuring a level playing field for individuals from all backgrounds and genders to cultivate essential skills.”
The latest analysis of apprenticeship starts in the automotive sector, released by the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), makes for sobering reading as job vacancies remain at a 20 year high. While automotive apprenticeships have increased 12 per cent in the first 8 months of the 2022/2023 academic year compared to the same period in 2021/2022, the take-up is still significantly below pre-pandemic levels. Figures for 2022/2023 apprenticeship starts for the first 8 months of the academic year are 8 per cent below same time frame in 2019/20 and 31 per cent below same time frame in 2018/19.
TMD Friction UK has been highlighting the importance of embracing future talent and encouraging the next generation of aftermarket professionals into the industry as part of National Apprenticeship week (6–12 February).
To mark the occasion, the braking specialist is celebrating its own homegrown talent throughout its UK sites. For its part, TMD Friction UK offers a comprehensive apprenticeship programme.
Ahead of National Apprenticeship Week (6-12 February 2023), the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) is calling for businesses to embrace apprenticeships and all the benefits they bring. Funding is available through the UK government’s apprenticeship levy scheme, yet the latest data in the IMI’s Automotive Education Report suggests this is underutilised in the automotive sector, meaning many businesses are missing out. Elsewhere, leading garage chains have been sounding the alarm that their growth and profitability depend on getting more personnel.
19-year-old Cameron Palmer from Ashbourne, Derbyshire, has been crowned the 2022 Halfords BTCC Apprentice of the Year competition winner. Cameron, who is a Level Three apprentice and has been based at the Wyvern Halfords Autocentre in Derby for the past six months, fought off competition from apprentices all over the country to come out on top.
The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) has released data that suggests industry apprenticeship take-up is increasing, but too slowly to fill the sector’s current skills gap.
Kwik Fit is marking National Apprenticeship Week with plans to expand its apprenticeship scheme and recruit more than 300 apprentices in 2022. Throughout the week beginning 7 February Kwik Fit will also be featuring current apprentices on its social media channels, enabling them to share their own experiences of the apprenticeship programme and why they opted for an automotive career.
Pro-Align vehicle diagnostic expert and Hella Gutmann will bring a hands-on workshop experience to Lanarkshire in Scotland in November 2021. The event, giving business owners and vehicle technicians from across Scotland an opportunity to trial on some of the world’s leading industry systems, will be hosted by New College Lanarkshire on 17 November. Pro-Align is the sole UK distributor of leading US wheel servicing equipment brand Hunter. Hella Gutmann is a pioneer of advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) calibration for the independent aftermarket. Recognising the increasing synergies between their areas of expertise, the two companies became brand partners earlier in 2021.
The NMDA will discuss standards for the motorcycle technician apprenticeship at a virtual meeting in August for dealer members. The association wants to ensure the programme remains relevant and up to date. “Following a turbulent 2020, the NMDA is keen to get apprenticeships back at the forefront of our agenda”, said Paddy O’Connell, head of the National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA).
During Mental Health Awareness Week which ran from 10 to 16 May 2021, Drive My Career announced a new “Supercharged” virtual event which will take place on 9 June 2021 to support apprentices’ mental health and wellbeing. The session follows the success of the first “Driving Inclusivity in Automotive” event held in December 2019 in partnership with dealer group Lookers. External speakers from Babcock International, Ben, the automotive charity, Lookers and the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) will be covering a number of issues related to apprentices’ wellbeing.
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