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TRAINING
additional resources. When we started this business in 2010,
temporary cover was largely used to cover holidays and sickness,
but over the years this has increasingly turned into longer-term
contracts as the industry struggles to recruit skilled workers. As a
sector, we need to continue to up the ante and make the pool of
talent available deeper, through better pay, and fulfilling training
promises, while widening the net and tapping into talent who have
previously been pulled from the aftermarket into other industries.
Creating a new recruitment stream
Opening up new avenues to harness fresh talent underlined the
creation of our Autotech Academy division in 2021. Overcoming
the bottleneck of recruiting newly qualified vehicle technicians,
Autotech Academy’s unique, paid internship initiative has paved the
way for a new generation of vehicle technicians and the division has
gone from strength to strength in 2022.
Over the course of this year, we have forged relationships with 70
FE colleges, partnered with 33 dealer groups, and placed over 140
interns. Since the launch of Autotech Academy over 50 interns have
transitioned into full-time employment.
Colleges play a vital role in educating our future workforce and
our Academy team works hard to cultivate relationships with
them while building ties with automotive employers to effectively
‘close the loop.’ As part of this effort, this year alone, the team
has undertaken over 68 college visits across England, Scotland,
and Wales – and delivered talks and events to automotive college
leavers!
New initiatives for the New Year
The ongoing skills shortage will certainly follow the industry as it
moves into 2023 and as a company, we will continue to bang the
drum, building upon our continual support for the industry, through
the introduction of new, innovative services. As we enter the New
Year, our internal workforce will have increased by 35% creating an
even stronger foundation of support.
In parallel with the evolution of vehicles, the pace of change
within the aftermarket will continue unabated and, early next
year, we are planning to announce the launch of a new division of
Autotech Group to aid the industry as it continues its journey.
Colin Gleghorn,
Managing Director, Autotech Training
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