Driving Young Talent into Automotive
At School of Thought we’ve been banging the drum for years, predicting the skills and generation gap in Automotive, so its great to see others backing us up, we often felt alone in our quest.
We predicted the closure of body and paint programmes in colleges due to the government and industry drive on EV technology – be careful what you wish for – the next plea will be for panel and paint techs in a few more years.
We need to get the balance right, we still need to do more, throwing huge salaries or incentives won’t solve the problem, when demand outstrips supply the revolving door of employees continues and then the demands come for more money or I’m leaving.
What we know is that it started back in 2008 when the UK was in recession, redundancies, threats to job security driving people into other more lucrative or attractive sectors, we never tried to entice them back.
A new wave of technicians came to the UK from far flung countries including Eastern Europe, but Brexit put the brakes on that, many returning due to worries about their future.
We had the pandemic, money became tight, young people got the push, many left the bodyshop arena being forced out. Short sighted and so very sad.
Then the push on reducing carbon emissions came, the call to action for EV technicians, people changing skillset from within automotive, chasing the money, robbing Peter to pay Paul.
We know that the armed forces don’t want to fit tyres they want to work in IT, or somewhere else. The lack of forces pensions are pushing people to leave earlier, so rather than having a job later in life, a lifelong career is being sought. We know that if you put the British army into Wembley stadium there would be a lot of seats left. We can’t rely on this cohort anymore.
EV’s aren’t as attractive as motorsport, where’s the thrill, the excitement, the roaring of engines, in fact you can’t even hear them sometimes, there’s a risk and a half particularly when you get a bad driver behind the wheel. Most young people who talk to us want to go into motorsport, its on telly, its exciting dare I say it its sexy (the pc police will be out now gunning for me). Bangers and cash and all the other car repair programmes on the telly box need to be focused on young people getting involved, not old gnarly presenters.
Construction and railways had a resurgence, more appealing to young people, more traction for progression, more training not just in 1 in 4 people getting trained potentially just to tick a box. Everyone gets trained.
We are in a mental health emergency for young people. Young people seeing little hope of getting a foot on the ladder, add to it the economic crisis, changes in education, war, climate change and all the evils happening in the world today, no wonder young people feel hopeless and helpless. Think of how we as adults feel, then times it by a hundred or even more, young people don’t have the resilience we have, they are struggling.
We need to help them build resilience and all those other great skills needed not just in work but in life. Education doesn’t always teach them about values, having confidence, self-belief, but we can, we can give them hope, and it’s not hard to do.
At School of Thought we have being fighting for the past 4 years, yes fighting with not enough support, financial or otherwise, but we’ve been resilient, we’ve dispelled myths and perceptions and raised the profile to over 120,000 young people, and to teachers, career advisors, parents, and guardians, giving them hope, and now it’s your turn. Be part of the solution not the problem.
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In April next year AWE24 starts. This is a dedicated Automotive Work Experience Week from 15th to 19th April 2024.
If you are a vehicle manufacturer, independent garage, bodyshop, parts supplier, engineering company, equipment supplier, tech company or any other automotive business, endorse and take up the AWE24 Challenge by committing to take ONE PERSON for ONE week of WORK EXPERIENCE in 2024. If you can’t do that week, it’s not a problem, do another week.
But it starts before that, we have been putting the call out to all our stakeholders and connections, but you can do your bit, connect with us, connect with local schools and colleges, connect with young people in your own communities.
A few years ago, we developed a Traineeship, but due to lack of funding it didn’t happen, but we are not throwing away all the hard work, this is our work experience programme in a watered-down form. The great news is that it can work for all ages and all abilities, it could be used for upskilling people who work in your business as emerging talent, it can be used for trainees or simply as an experience programme for people within your business to understand how all the links in the chain work.
We have developed a work experience pack, documentation to support health & safety and learning, we have created job profiles and examples for employees and young people to understand what is in it for them, what will be covered, and what the outcomes will be.
I applaud all those that are doing their bit, but we know we are stronger together and collaboration is key, so don’t be a lone wolf like we were, join the pack and be part of something special. And if that young person enjoys their week of work experience and you have an opportunity then “pledge a place” until they leave education, keep in contact, keep them interested and engaged.
If you don’t have an opportunity, find one or let others in your area know, don’t let young people slip through our system and be snapped up by others.
We’ve told people about automotive, now it’s time to show people. Please play your part and get in touch today.
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