Another month down and once again skill and labour shortages dominate conversation throughout the automotive industry (you could throw supply shortages into that mix as well).

Although record apprenticeship growth is a testament to these issues we are facing, we must stop to reflect on the viability of the traditional apprenticeship pathway as the optimal model for parachuting much needed skills into business.

Does this model still stand up in the face of extreme shortages?

While we currently use a four-year, competency-based system, perhaps it is time to investigate reducing the nominal term of an apprenticeship. I understand this convolutes things, but three-years makes it far more attractive to prospective employees amid the ongoing competition across industries.

Hand-in-hand with this, we have some fantastic training facilities that can be utilised to fast-track learning. Opportunity is there to partner with employers and maximise off-the-job learning in areas industry has identified as imperative to progression, supplemented by on-the-job work where applicable.

And what happens when workloads begin to abate? History tells us this is when we stop training en masse only to fall into the same trap when we inevitably experience a new shortage. How do we ensure that pipeline of apprentices and skilled employees continues to flow? Utilising training facilities and cooperatively sharing the labour pool are a start, but it is something we must think about.

It was Winston Churchill who once said to never waste a crisis. The current state our industry is perhaps the perfect time to find solutions and revolutionise our methods.

7 June 2022