A NEW ROUTE INTO AUTOMOTIVE

Since its launch two years ago, Autotech Academy has helped over 200 newly qualified Level 3 automotive students into employment through a paid internship. Find out how they did it

Paving the way for a new generation of vehicle technicians, Autotech Academy offers a unique path to automotive employment, which is creating a steady pipeline of new talent for the motor industry.

This path has been an effective solution to a significant recruitment bottleneck, which has resulted in high numbers of newly qualified automotive students leaving the industry before they have even managed to secure employment. Plagued by a longterm skills shortage, the loss of these newly skilled vehicle technicians to the automotive industry was inconceivable.

The missing link

Launched as a division of the employment and training solutions company Autotech Group in 2021, Autotech Academy has been cited as the missing link between colleges and the automotive aftermarket, and embraced by main dealer groups representing brands such as Toyota, Ford and Honda, along with the fast fit and independent sectors.

Working as a conduit between further education colleges and motor industry employers, Autotech Academy identifies qualifying Level 3 automotive students, then equips them with a starter toolkit and uniform, before placing them with an employer for a period of 6-12 months on a paid internship. The length of time and any additional training requirements are based on the specific needs of the employer.

At the end of the internship, the employer can then decide to employ the intern on a permanent basis with no recruitment fees – a risk-free solution. Over 90% of the interns placed into the industry by Autotech Academy are successfully transitioning to permanent employment on completion of their internship.

“We have effectively taken the pain away from employers,” says Simon King, managing director of Autotech Group. “The fact that so many automotive employers are embracing the concept is demonstrative of the hole in the market that Autotech Academy is filling. In a demanding work environment, employers simply didn’t have the bandwidth to vet, recruit and mentor newly qualified automotive students.”

Internship not apprenticeship

Educating both the industry and colleges on the benefits of Autotech Academy has been no mean feat. The Academy team visit at least six colleges a week, travelling up and down the country, covering hundreds of miles to talk to automotive students about future career opportunities within the motor industry and the internship. This commitment has enabled the company to overcome a major misconception that surrounded Autotech Academy when it launched, that an internship is the same as an apprenticeship.

“Put simply, an apprentice is a school leaver with no automotive education while an intern is fully qualified with the latest theoretical training and will work full time,” explains King. “They do not require day release to attend college as an apprentice would. The Academy team have worked hard to convey this message and demonstrate to employers that interns are fully qualified. While they need some additional support and mentoring, the majority of the interns we place are working independently very quickly and offer an immediate extra pair of hands.”

An inclusive approach

Autotech Academy’s internship proposition has also reached other sectors. At the end of 2022, Dorset Police, together with Devon and Cornwall Police, collaborated with Autotech Academy to create an internship position for the Force’s Bodmin workshop. The appointment of Holly Treleaven to this position also demonstrates Autotech Academy’s commitment to creating more opportunities for women.

“The number of female interns currently in a placement through Autotech Academy is currently at an all-time high, and this has been a great achievement for the team,” King says. So what’s next for Autotech Academy?

“Demand for interns is high,” replies King. “So the team are working hard to register students who will qualify with a Level 3 automotive diploma this summer. They are also creating links to other automotive sectors including body and paint, who will also benefit from the internship initiative.”

For more information, go to www.autotechacademy.co.uk