The Government is joining forces with leading UK automotive manufacturers to boost skills across the sector, inspire the next generation of vehicle makers and create new routes into automotive careers.
Business Secretary Vince Cable has announced £11.3m of government funding, alongside a £2.8m cash investment and £16.4m of in-kind contributions from industry.
The project, developed through the Automotive Council’s Business Environment and Skills Group, brings together major automotive businesses to ensure future skills needs are met for UK vehicle manufacturers and supply chain companies; and follows a successful bid from the group for funding through the Government’s Employer Ownership Pilot.
Business Secretary Vince Cable commented: “This investment puts our automotive sector in the driving seat to design the skills our manufacturing companies need.
“There is a risk that without adequate investment in skills, the industry will run into serious skills bottlenecks. Through our industrial strategy we are working in partnership with the automotive sector as it goes from strength to strength…providing businesses with the confidence to invest and to create high skilled jobs.”
Employment in the automotive industry is set to grow in the coming years, with £multi-billion investments taking hold and production volumes on course for record levels. With developments such as connectivity and advanced manufacturing taking the sector into exciting new territory, recruitment is a major challenge facing the industry.
Manufacturers will work together to identify and meet the skills needs for their current and future workforces, ensuring the UK automotive industry is in pole position. Young people will also gain first-hand experience of the industry in action, inspiring future generations of engineers and technicians.
Chair of the Automotive Industrial Partnership and head of technical excellence at Jaguar Land Rover, Jo Lopes said: “The Automotive Industrial Partnership brings together industry employers on an unprecedented scale.
“By working collaboratively and taking an innovative and sector-wide approach, we are ensuring that the UK’s automotive sector can grow and retain the skills talent that is so vital for the industry’s continued success.”
Aston Martin, Bentley, BMW, Ford, General Motors, GKN, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan and Toyota are some of the UK’s biggest automotive employers, and will work together with the Government, SEMTA and SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders) through the Automotive Council to boost current and future workforce skills.
This includes creating an industry standard “jobs framework” and identifying employment “hot spots”, to encourage more young people into automotive manufacturing careers and to deliver clear development pathways to help them to progress.
Initiatives include:
