Outdated career advice is making the NEETs crisis worse
The motor industry is facing a systemic vacancies challenge, writes CEO of the Institute of the Motor Industry Nick Connor
The automotive industry used to be a key destination for school leavers, with high numbers starting apprenticeships every year.
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But something has changed. Apprenticeship starts for the 2025/26 academic year were around 30% lower than a decade ago.
Is this because there are fewer opportunities or less demand for trainees? Neither! Demand is higher than ever, and the range of opportunities has never been greater. But two forces are undermining the industry's best efforts.
Firstly, there’s a perception problem amongst the next generation of talent and the people who influence them – from parents to teachers and careers advisers. But probably even more fundamental is the fact that the apprenticeship system has made it difficult for employers to bring new talent on board. This is particularly acute in automotive, where many servicing, maintenance and repair businesses are SMEs. Smaller employers may want to invest in new talent but often lack the time and administrative resources available to larger organisations.
According to YouGov research commissioned by the IMI, 90% of parents would consider an apprenticeship for their child but only 41% would encourage an automotive pathway. The survey of more than 1,000 parents of 14–17-year-olds discovered that parents mentally categorise automotive alongside declining traditional trades, while placing Digital & IT, Engineering and sustainability-focused sectors on their ‘acceptable careers’ shortlist.
In reality, those roles sit at the heart of automotive careers. The transition to electric vehicles and the wider use of advanced driver assistance systems mean the sector offers more tech-based jobs, alongside well-known roles such as technician or bodywork specialist. There are more than 200 roles across workshops, offices and showrooms, covering sales, marketing, software engineering, data analysis, HR, customer service, cybersecurity, sustainability, AI and more.
But even if we can get that message out to young people and their influencers, employers still have too many hoops to jump through to take on apprentices because the apprenticeship system is difficult to navigate and access.
We are in the midst of apprenticeship reform. It is vital that this makes it easier and more flexible for employers to deliver apprenticeships, removing the practical and administrative barriers that currently deter smaller businesses from participating. Without this, efforts to encourage more young people into automotive will not translate into sufficient apprenticeship opportunities.
We also need to change the minds of those in government who are making the big decisions about where to focus investment; they must look beyond the factory gates when considering automotive. Investment in manufacturing gets the headlines, but the reality is that if we don’t have people with the skills to work on vehicles once they leave the factory floor, we could face a serious road safety issue.
We were encouraged by Prime Minister Andy Burnham's announcement when he first took office that his government would focus on vocational and technical skills. However, we remain concerned that there is a misunderstanding about the scale of the automotive skills gap beyond manufacturing.
We are calling for further action to recognise automotive servicing and repair skills as essential to new automotive technologies. Vehicles are changing faster than at any point in history and road safety depends on the people maintaining, repairing and recovering them being demonstrably competent.
If government is serious about building the technical workforce of the future, reform must not only inspire more young people to consider automotive careers. It must also make it practically possible for employers of every size to offer them that opportunity.
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Nick Connor is CEO of the Institute of the Motor Industry.
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