The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) has called for urgency over reforms for apprenticeship funding, believing this to be critical to ensure a robust skills pipeline which can meet the automotive sector’s future needs.
The IMI’s latest data has shown the automotive training workforce continues to be severely under-resourced and the pipeline of new talent is not being adequately filled by new apprenticeships. In the 2023/24 academic year, there were 7,372 automotive apprenticeship starts, 6% lower than in 2022/23.
The IMI’s call comes as the Education Committee launches an inquiry, seeing parliamentarians investigate how the entire further education system could better equip young people with skills and qualifications for a range of sectors experiencing labour shortages. This is said to be essential for the automotive sector which continues to be challenged by a significant skills gap. Innovation advances including electric vehicles, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and hydrogen all require new skills to ensure UK roads remain safe.
The inquiry will examine apprenticeships, Skills England’s role, and reforms to T Levels and BTECs, while also addressing workforce pressures, including the pay gap, lecturer shortages, and their impact on technical education quality.
While this inquiry offers hope to over 300,000 young adults seeking tangible career opportunities, the IMI believes there remains a lack of clarity as to what government will deliver and, vitally, when. It is therefore urging its members to write to their local MP to raise the issue and has created a letter which can be accessed via the IMI website for this purpose.
