Recruitment: What to do about it? This year’s crop of year 11s will be winding up towards their GCSEs over the next couple of months. From there some will opt for the academic route and head onto A-Levels and beyond, while others will be looking to apprenticeships. It must then be time garages to start looking for some new staff to train up?
Well, probably not – we have already lost out on the 2018 school leavers. No, really. If we wanted to attract them we should have been talking to them and their parents during 2014, or perhaps even earlier, perhaps when they were still at primary school in 2012. Because we didn’t do that, they are going to choose another industry. There’s a host of reasons why, but what do we do about it?
Things are going to get better?
“The automotive sector does face a long-standing skills shortage, which is likely to worsen with the developments in new technology,” says Steve Nash, chief executive at the Institute of the Motor Industry. “New government statistics have shown a
15% drop in automotive apprenticeship starts, however we haven’t fared too badly compared to the overall 61%.”
Considering what the industry as a whole has to offer, you’d think young people would be flooding in: “The motor industry has over 250 different job roles that can offer young people a life-long career,” says Steve, “whether that’s in a technician role or management, designer or marketing. Businesses in the motor industry are a shining example of what can be provided through quality training and apprenticeships. We’ve had plenty of practise in providing these training programmes that have allowed us to grow to be one of the largest sectors operating in the UK. Businesses in the automotive industry are certainly well-rehearsed when it comes to adapting to any new changes that are introduced, whether that’s the Levy or Standards that have recently been implemented.”
Young people are not going to come our way if they don’t know that however: “The government has removed nearly all careers advice available in schools around the UK,” Steve points out, “and this is having a huge impact on young people. The IMI surveyed parents and young people to find that over 80% of parents said they would choose the university route over an apprenticeship for their children, so it’s clear that transforming apprenticeships alone isn’t enough to breakdown the stigmas associated with vocational learning.
“Government are continuously reviewing the apprenticeship model, and automotive businesses like Rolls-Royce remain at the heart of these changes. It’s important we’re doing our upmost to transform apprenticeships, and the IMI are confident that the dedication shown by businesses will help attract more young people.”
So what about technician licensing? It’s already on its way to being reality in one corner of our industry: “The IMI is currently lobbying for a Licence to Practise for vehicle technicians working on electric and hybrid vehicles. Without regulation and a minimum training standard, there are significant safety risks for technicians who may not have any form of training before coming into contact with high-voltage vehicles.
“The motor industry deserves recognition for their individual training and skills when it comes to working on such advanced technology. The licensing scheme would provide that credibility, as well as offering other benefits to the individual technician who are trained and qualified to work on low-emission vehicles. Benefits include the fact that businesses would be keen to recruit them in order to allow the business to service and maintain these vehicles, and as we’ve seen lately that the appetite for electric and hybrid vehicles shows no sign of slowing down considering their has been as increase of 35%
this year. Businesses must make the investment in training their staff in order to provide them with the skillset that’ll allow them to service customers who own high-voltage vehicles.”
Grow your own
Is licensing the magic potion that will fix all our problems? Industry consultant Andy Savva isn’t so sure: "I'm all for some kind of licensing, but it has to have meat on the bones, not be just some kind of tick-box exercise. Even if we went down that route, I don't think it would have any significance at all on recruitment. This has been an issue for a few years now.
"We have quite a few problems as an industry. Firstly, the push towards university-based futures from 10-15 years ago took almost all of the young talent away. At the same time there was a lack of decent apprenticeships so there were even less young people contemplating a career in automotive, specifically in the garage repair sector. Coupled to that is the lack of upward mobility for those dynamic young people who want to progress and not just stay on the tools or the front desk. Thirdly we pay very low as an industry compared with other sectors.”
Do we need to think bigger?
“If we don’t raise the status of our industry collectively, then how are we going to recruit the next generation of people regardless what side of the fence you’re sitting," observes Andy. “In Germany you can't own or manage a garage unless you have completed a three-year degree in Automotive Engineering, which combines business modules too. People in these roles are held in
the same esteem as solicitors and accountants.”
Outside of the lack of careers advice, those working in our educational institutions tend to have a very narrow view of the industry that does not help says Andy: "When I speak at schools and colleges, and I get given a group of youngsters, the teacher usually says something like 'these are the kids that are not going to go to university we thought the motor trade may suit them.’ It's not like that now, it's men in white coats. There is probably more computer power in a car now than in most general offices, but people don't look at it like that.
“The outside world seems to think that if you are not academically minded, and there is nothing wrong with that, then the motor industry is fine for you. They are given the impression that it is low skilled career, but it is far from that.”
Once someone is in the sector, they are not always handled well either: "At the moment, collectively we have disregarded proper recruitment strategy. How many garage owners understand where recruitment starts from? How do we recruit? Most of them will do the same thing. They will put an ad in the paper or go through a recruitment agency. Now I have nothing against recruiters and there are a handful around the country that offer a wider set of services. I’ve seen at first hand how they are trying to engage with young people at an early stage through a variety of ways up and down the country and I applaud them for this.
“On remuneration, most garage owners will then pay the same as everyone else because it is the going rate, or even cap technician salaries regardless of skill, age and knowledge. This attitude limits the pool of people who can attract and usually means a whirlwind of the same people going around for a few hundred quid extra or a couple of hours off during the week.”
Andy adds: “We need to be going into schools at an early age, as a collective automotive sector. It's about growing your own and taking on apprentices and nurturing talent and having a proper personal development plan for each individual and providing proper clean facilities with the correct tooling to enable these youngsters to blossom.”
All or nothing
Glen Shepherd, co-founder at automotive recruitment specialists Glen Callum Associates also thinks technician licensing might help with recruitment, but agrees it would not be the end of the story: “Technician licencing may fulfil the wants of the younger generation by allowing them a career option of a ‘professionally skilled job, recognised nationally with continued professional development and training’, however I believe the key to ensuring awareness of the offering to entry level generations would be wholly determined by the promotion of the licencing scheme.
“Having attended many recruitment seminars on ‘attracting the millennial and Gen Y generations’ the consensus of opinion is that younger people are on the whole attracted to careers that offer personal development, training, transparency of duties and ‘an employer that holds and demonstrates good values and ethics.’ Licencing, if promoted correctly via schools, colleges and through successful marketing could aid recruitment from emerging generations into the aftermarket.”
How does this help the skill shortage and awareness of those generations already rooted within the workforce though? “The image of the aftermarket doesn’t mirror the actual modernisation that the sector has undertaken. So, how do we address image and increase awareness of the aftermarket offering? My view is to inject new blood into the industry, not necessarily at entry level, but by reaching out to talent within comparable industries that carry similarities such as the industrial and engineering sectors. Introducing the outside world into what the sector has to offer and thereby expanding and utilising skills from other sectors.
“Companies are trying to employ from a reducing talent pool of traditionally skilled staff, thus pushing up current salaries and increasing demand. By opening out to new skill sets, albeit within periphery sectors, allows increased awareness of the aftermarket, the introduction of new ideals and ideas and a wider pool of skilled staff from which to engage.
“We can do this by educating companies within the aftermarket who have historically only recruited within the sector to help broaden their expectations and to promote the benefits of working within the industry. Do we need ‘technician licencing’ to be able to do this? I think not, however all a positive initiatives promoting recognition of the professionalism within the sector is surely helpful.”
Don’t stop what you’re doing
How the industry is viewed is a key issue clearly: “The perception of the motor industry by those outside it creates an image problem that exacerbates many of the issues facing independent garages today and the skills shortage is just one of these” says Terry Gibson, head of member services at the Independent Garage Association (IGA). “However, whilst attracting young people into the industry will solve the problem in the longer term, there is also a need to upskill those already in the industry. This is not limited to hybrid and other new technologies, we face an equal problem in replacing retiring MOT testers where there is an equally pressing need.”
The IGA is working towards helping widen the net: “The IGA is working with the Armed Forces to consider how best to address the particular need for MOT testers by helping to retrain skilled and experienced military vehicle fitters to aid in their transition to civilian life and this will work alongside an initiative with a major recruitment company.”
While careers advice in schools has been found wanting as we have seen, Terry believes the industry itself is going in the right direction promoting the importance of training and development, so at least existing staff in the sector continue to upskill: “The messages spread by trade bodies and by the specialist trade press focuses heavily on training and development and this article is a good example of that. The opening of the RMI’s Academies of Automotive Skills shows that the industry is promoting training and development for existing technicians.
On licensing, Terry observes: “While blanket licensing might, over time raise the perception of the technician role, we do not believe it would be a major influencing factor in deciding on an automotive career for young people today – although in the absence of such licensing anywhere in our industry makes it difficult to predict its effects.”
Terry adds: “We must continue to stress the high-tech nature of modern motor vehicles and ensure that the industry is presented in the best light to those outside. To that end the IGA is working with television producers to ensure that the portrayal of the garage trade in popular drama is realistic and representative.”
