News Item

20/03/2006 - Education, Education, Education?

Passed this month, Labours controversial education bill is set to shake up the vocational education system. One sector keeping a close eye on developments will be the skilled trades, whose recruitment has been hit hard by the government’s target to get 50% of young people into university and implicitly, into white collar jobs by 2010.

The fact that 43% of young people now go to university compared to just 6% in the 1960’s goes some way to demonstrating why this country is suffering a skills shortage in the trade and craft professions.

Whilst it may be true that young boys and girls are more likely to dream of being a doctor or a lawyer rather than a panel technician or a paint refinisher, when millions of 16 years olds finish their GCSE’s this summer many will not receive the encouragement they need to pursue a career in a skilled trade.

The motor trade is just one of many victims caused by the skills shortage from this so-called ‘British disease’. Though the Government boasts 21,000 young people achieved NVQ Level 2 qualifications in 2005, in the same period almost ten times as many entered University. Teachers and careers advisers continue to push children towards an academic route they may not be suited to with little regard for opportunities available through vocational training.

But it’s not just the education system that is to blame.

Motor trade, building and plumbing companies are beginning to realise that a genuine shortfall in commitment to serious career development programs means that young people don’t see them as a viable career choice.

The perception of the motor trade, is that it is underpaid, underdeveloped and under the arches. Let’s face it soap mechanics like Phil Mitchell and Kevin Webster aren’t the most aspirational figures! They represent a different time in the motor industry. Today their role is highly technical, requires specialist skills and most importantly offers a real long term career for those who choose it.

If your potential recruits can see a career path that will allow them to meet their aspirations then there’s more incentive for them to stay.

The Automotive Skills Council is one of many organisations attempting to combat some of the problems facing skilled professions. It is not only attempting to identify and reduce skills shortages but are also raising employers’ ambitions in the demand for talent and importantly developing innovative ways to both attract new recruits into the industry and develop the skills of the existing workforce.

The team at Just Car Clinics is a great example of opportunities open to young people in this sector. Almost all members of the senior management started their careers in the industry as apprentices. CEO Barry Whittles began as a panel beater and I myself started life as was a mechanic before moving up the ranks to general manager and then group training and development manager in 2004.

As part of our commitment to the development of our team we have just opened the industry’s first Training and Support Centre. The centre supports our 13 accident repair centers across the country offering the team the opportunity to learn more about their roles, take recognised qualifications and benefit from professional advice. As well as being an excellent resource for the young people entering the profession it also encourages and supports adult upskilling, an area often overlooked by the Governments initiative to support training for young people.

The investment in our team is something we are very proud of. It ensures high-quality repair work, award-winning customer service and professionalism throughout the business. Without formal, group wide training opportunities it can be difficult for team members to prove their competence especially for the older ‘lost generation’ in the industry who started their career path before formal apprenticeships were introduced.

Each year UK employers spend more than £23 billion on training. They invest in skills because they know it makes business sense, however in this kind of industry training is notoriously under funded. With an aging workforce many business’s like ours need to realise the importance of training the skilled workers of the future, not only to fill positions, but also to maintain work standards and improve the reputation of the trade.

The good news is that the motor industry does realise that they need to shake things up to secure their future and with increasing investment and rapid developments in training opportunities, we are far more likely to be nurturing future Sir Alan Sugars than Kevin Websters.

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