Garages posed for 10% increase in MOT tests but do they have the manpower?
According to Autotech Recruit, a specialist UK agency supplying temporary and permanent MOT testers and technicians, next month will bring the skills shortage across the automotive industry into sharper focus when garage owners across the country are faced with an increase in MOT tests by almost 10%. Concerns are being raised as to whether garages are equipped with the sufficient manpower to handle this surge in demand.
The MOT rise is down to the unprecedented car sales boom of 2014, which reached an all-time decade high of 2.48 million. With 400,000 of these cars purchased in September of that year for the new registration, under Government regulation these vehicles require a first MOT after three years, and this date is fast approaching.
“Reports of continued growth within the industry have been gaining traction for some time,” explains Gavin White, MD of Autotech Recruit. “However, the need to maintain and service the vehicles which originally sparked the sales boom is now starting, but garages do not have the manpower, or technicians sufficiently skilled to fix the vehicles which have become increasingly technical.”
A report by the Automotive Council, which revealed that 5,000 motor industry jobs were vacant in 2016, underpins the full scale of the problem. Whilst this shortfall is largely down to the lack of new talent entering the industry, many garages do not realise that there is a ready supply of skilled technicians highly trained and proficient in MOT testing to cover unmanned bays during busy periods.
“Improving workshop productivity is at the heart of our business,” comments Gavin. “An unmanned MOT bay can cost a garage up to £2,000 per day in lost revenue, and we have a UK-wide network of temporary MOT testers and vehicle technicians at our fingertips, whose services we can place immediately to ensure efficiency is maintained at all times.”
Autotech Recruit is quickly becoming the go-to automotive workforce solutions provider as they understand what it takes to keep workshops running. In addition, keeping a finger on the fast moving automotive pulse is an integral element to the company’s success, and this knowledge is regularly passed onto candidates through training workshops. “It is vital that our pool of candidates are trained not only to a high standard, but to meet current government legislations in order to hit the ground running,” Gavin concludes.
