Last month, Capricorn, Australasia’s largest automotive parts and business essentials cooperative, released their 2021 State of the Nation report – a snapshot into
the automotive service industry.

More than 2,000 respondents participated in the survey – including general automotive repairers, commercial and heavy-duty vehicle specialists, auto electricians and collision repairers, among others – and amongst the detailed information included in the report, there were five key takeaways for auto repair shop owners.

Two of those regarded skilled workers and electric vehicle (EV) technology, with Capricorn saying in the report that, ‘There’s a big shortage of qualified technicians, but we have an opportunity today to start building the talent pipeline of tomorrow’, and ‘While we might not be servicing many electric vehicles yet, EVs are part of the changing technology landscape, and we should be getting ready.’

There’s no escaping the certainty that in the next few years the Australian automotive landscape will look radically different. No government intervention or personal desire can change the fact that car manufacturers have put their colossal resources and marketing weight behind electric vehicle technology, and the global consumer appetite for these high-tech machines – and the fact Australia itself has no automotive manufacturing industry of note building petrol-powered passenger cars – means
we here will have to adapt our vehicular diet too.

Consider the use of components such as LiDAR, Radar, and cameras in software-heavy driver assistance systems; the growing use of carbon fibre and other materials in construction; and the growing digital arena for the marketing and purchasing of cars and of connecting and engaging with customers. These are just some of the areas which, in a relatively short time, have already become a common sight.

It’s an exciting time to be working in the automotive industry but the incredible speed at which new technology is filtering into the industry creates its own challenge for technicians, apprentices, and business owners alike: How do we keep up with this massive transformation and disruption? Every part of a business, no matter the sector of the industry, will have to adapt, and the rapid development and deployment of this new tech highlights the need for training opportunities that allow for the upskilling of technicians and others to meet the challenge they represent.

And these training opportunities need to be rolled out just as swiftly as the technologies themselves – a difficult thing to do in a sector in which traditional, accredited, training pathways can take a long time to catch up with what is happening on the ground.

The micro-credential revolution

This is where the relatively new concept of micro-credentials comes into play, and where MTA Queensland – long an innovator in the automotive training sector – is amongst the first organisations to launch a wide-ranging suite of these automotive industry-specific courses.

Micro-credentials are short – often requiring no more than an hour of an employee’s time – online courses that offer training in a specific area of work or study, and which are designed to enable participants to upskill for work in evolving industries but without the financial cost or commitment of time that comes with more traditional vocational training.

Using video and other interactive components, the MTA Queensland micro-credential courses are tightly focused on the one required area, ensuring the participant comes away with knowledge targeted on the skill they need and which the business demands.

In the automotive industry, this ability to gain skills that are essential and in-demand through micro-credentials that are designed and made available quickly in response to industry’s requirements is vital and, clearly, a tremendous opportunity for professional development.

“Micro-credentials offer sharp, point-in-time training, and they have emerged because formal educational structures are just so slow to respond,” said Rod Camm, MTA Queensland CEO.

“In regard to vocational education, it takes four years to update a qualification, and if you ask employers what training they want, they rarely engage in a discussion about long-term training. They have increasingly said they want to see training available on what is emerging and that while the formal accredited system might have a role, they are not prepared to wait.”

And this is the key to MTA Queensland’s micro-credential program – short, sharp, focused courses easily accessible via the Association’s website, which are available at a very affordable price point (starting at just $35) and which meet an urgent business and/or skills requirement.

And that requirement can be in any area. From the need to understand Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and the hardware that powers them; to understanding the workings of digital marketing and social media and how to use them successfully – there is no area of an automotive business, in any sector, that cannot be accommodated.

Initially, MTA Queensland will launch a handful of micro-credentials on subjects regarding the technical, business administration, and industrial relations fields, but these will quickly expand to cover a host of subjects that have been identified by association members and industry more generally. Importantly, the infrastructure is in place to react swiftly to the demands and needs of businesses moving forward.

“If an employer says to us, for example, ‘Windscreen technology has changed radically, and we just can’t find anyone to train us in it’, our reaction will be to create a micro-credential for that,” said Mr Camm. ‘Another example would be for the vehicle hire industry. They have said to us that they recruit ‘greenbacks’ – backpackers who have little knowledge of the industry but who are prepared to work – and they would love a course which will teach the basics and arm them with the knowledge to be able to check a car that has been returned and know to look at the tyres and other aspects of that vehicle. For employers in that sector, knowing they can get those new employees to head to MTA Queensland’s website and complete that micro-credential will really help.”

While the formal, traditional vocational training such as apprenticeships are, of course, still vital, micro-credentials are, said Mr Camm, essential in providing top-up training across the industry to tradespeople, those working within other areas of a business and, indeed, apprentices themselves.

“People may ask why an apprentice would need a micro-credential,” he said. “And that is because their apprenticeship may not cover some of the latest technology. It is not great for an apprentice to complete their formal training but then say they have never seen some of the technology that is now appearing in vehicles.

“Formal qualification structures, both in VET and higher education, take time to develop, so micro-credentials are the ‘filler’ that can be plugged into the training system.”

While micro-credentials are not accredited, the demand from industry and business to recognise the need for them has seen governments move to consider funding for them, to analyse and review their potential through policies such as the Australian Qualifications Framework, and to explore the creation of infrastructure such as the proposed National Credentials Platform that will enable those who complete micro-credentials to compile their training history and make it easy to present their credentials to employers.

With MTA Queensland’s long history of delivering successful, top-notch training – both through the apprenticeship system and via non-accredited courses in areas such as ADAS, HEV/BEV, Welding and more – those taking the micro-credential courses can be assured not only of their high standard but that they will be acknowledged by employers as legitimate and industry endorsed.

“The strength of our suite of micro-credentials will be in that MTA Queensland members and industry recognise they are relevant and high quality,” said Mr Camm. “That allows both current workers and new entrants to be able to say to employers that they have done a series of courses with MTA Queensland and know they will be acknowledged by the employer.

“And we will react to industry’s needs and get to a point that when industry says they want a particular course, we can get it into the market within a month. No one has the reach to employers that we do – we have trainers and area managers in workplaces every day – and it will not be complicated to understand what those employers need and for us to be able to deliver a micro-credential that meets that need.

“Being able to do that is what I am hearing from our members and industry, and we will deliver.”

MTA Queensland is launching the first batch of micro-credentials this month. They include technical courses on Introduction to ADAS, Automotive Battery Basics; an industrial relations course on Leave and Public Holidays, and business-centric courses on Social Media for Automotive Businesses, and Google My Business.

Click here to visit the micro-credential homepage.

Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (September 2020)

14 September 2021