Dealers urged to keep on training and recruiting

Last year the European new car market suffered its biggest monthly decline in a decade, largely as a result of the WLTP emissions testing regime.

Coupled with Jaguar, Land Rover and Honda’s job cuts, and uncertainty over Brexit, many car manufacturers may wonder whether they should freeze their recruitment efforts.

However, when it comes to the automotive aftermarket, garages need to ensure that they don’t take knee jerk recruitment decisions, which will be detrimental in the long-term.

A recent poll found that almost 80% of people within the industry believe that the shortage of workshop technicians has increased in the last 12 months.

This demonstrates the need to not only sustain, and improve, the current workforce, but keep recruitment high on the agenda.

The record car sales of 2015 and 2016 will see a large quantity of vehicles, as they come out of the manufacturer’s warranty period, needing MOT testing and servicing over the forthcoming 12 months.

Garages need to ensure that they have the manpower to manage increased demand as an empty ramp will of course have a negative impact on profit potential.

However, today, a lack of vehicle technicians goes much deeper than standard MOTs.

Sales of pure electric and hybrid car sales have increased significantly and now accounts for 8% of the market.

This demonstrates the changing pace of vehicle technology and, as a result, the role of the vehicle technician will change dramatically over the coming years.

The only way the current workforce can sustain their roles is to train. With more and more manufacturers pledging to go all electric, and, through increased pressure from several bodies, the possibility of electric vehicle training becoming regulated in the future, it is vital that independent garages upskill their technicians, so they are prepared.

Gavin White, is managing director of Autotech Recruit