Automotive manufacturing investment by government only addresses half the problem

The IMI urges government to focus on skills outside the factory gate as part of DRIVE35

The ambitious plans to support the next generation of automotive technology – DRIVE35 – have been welcomed by the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI). But the voice of the automotive workforce is warning that without investment in skills outside the factory gates matched to the commitment to manufacturing, the government’s vision for the automotive sector could fail.

Nick Connor, CEO of the IMI said: “There appears to be a continued myopic view of the automotive industry, with manufacturing and the associated supply chain receiving all the attention. Yet again, there’s no recognition that there needs to be a skilled workforce to service and maintain the new automotive technologies for which the £130 million investment is being focused.

“We were encouraged by the announcement made by Andy Burnham when he first took office that his government would focus on vocational and technical skills. But we remain concerned that there is a misunderstanding about the scale of the automotive skills gap beyond the factory gates – and how this could seriously undermine the government’s ambitions. It is critical for road safety – and for a fairly priced automotive market – that there is a skilled workforce accessible across the UK.”

Without urgent action, the IMI warns the gap between the complexity of the vehicles on UK roads and the competence of the workforce maintaining them will continue to widen – putting motorists, technicians and the UK’s world-leading road safety record at risk. 

The IMI is calling for further action to explicitly recognise automotive servicing and repair skills as part of the introduction of new automotive technologies. This includes embedding workforce capability into policy design, supporting large-scale upskilling of the existing workforce, and ensuring clear, recognised competence and safety standards for work on safety-critical, high-risk and security-sensitive vehicle systems across the sector. 

“Vehicles are changing faster than at any point in history – electrification, connected systems, automated driving technology,” added Nick Connor. “And the people who maintain, repair and recover them must be demonstrably competent. 

“The IMI continues to work with industry and training providers to expand qualifications and support technicians in gaining the skills required for the new automotive technologies. Together, with the right investment in people as well as technology, the UK can lead the way, but skills must be treated as a core part of the infrastructure.”