The “skills shortage” is a common talking point across the automotive industry. It’s a buzz-term. But we don’t like it. Here’s why.

The symptom is simple: employers, garages, workshops and even manufacturers just can’t hire quality technicians.

But the diagnosis is all wrong. There is no ‘skills shortage’.

And we have the data to prove it.

Neil Humphries, responsible for managing business development at renowned automotive training provider ProVQ, is out in the field constantly, helping motor industry employers tackle this problem.

Neil says,

“A lot of employers put a job advert out for a tech and often end up disappointed with the lack of applicants.

The employer is then frustrated, coming to misguided conclusions such as ‘people these days would just rather sit in front of a screen’, or ‘the passion for automotive is fading’.

Phrases like this plant seeds of doubt in the employer’s mind regarding the future of their businesses”.

But the reality is, the demand for automotive positions, from young people in particular, is unprecedented, Neil claims.

“I spend a lot of my time helping those in the industry recognise the truth – which is, the sheer lack of opportunities from automotive employers for apprentices.

We have thousands upon thousands of applicants for a tiny number of apprenticeship positions. Most applicants, which are already high-quality individuals, just simply want to get into the industry.

But – we simply do not have enough opportunities for them. Apprentices are, after all, the future of the industry, but the responsibility sits more on the employer to be more open minded about growing their own crop”.

Apprentices are proven to be more likely to be loyal to their employers upon completion of their training across all sectors, not just automotive – which bodes well for the future of many businesses.

And training organisations like ProVQ, which focus on quality, have a refined recruitment and training process that goes above what’s delivered by your standard local college.

“We have all these people wanting to get into the industry, who will demand a low salary for the opportunity, while they train to become the high-quality technician employers want them to be.

It’s a win-win for all parties involved, we just need employers to create those opportunities, not only for themselves, but for the future of the industry.”

Looking for an apprentice? Register now: https://www.provq.com/employers