Emerging from the confusion: the omnicompetent technician

Unfortunately, I’m old enough to have been around when the rock group Genesis was in its prime and having a hit record entitled ‘Land of Confusion.’ The song title came into my head when I was reflecting on the UK Government’s recent pronouncements about the motor industry. From Boris Johnson randomly picking 2030 as the date to ban the sale of ICE vehicles to Rishi Sunak deciding that the date should be 2035. Bizarrely in the same statement he claimed that his government was on the side of the motorist, thus suggesting that the Tory governments of the previous 13 years hadn’t been! Cynically one assumes this change of heart was sparked by the Uxbridge by Election where the Conservatives kept the seat against all the odds with the electorate protesting the Mayor of London’s ULEZ policy.

The question is how does this impact the IMI membership especially those on the technical side of the business?

The momentum towards EVs may slow a little but the emphasis is still there. The one thing that is sure is that over the next few years the sophistication of new vehicles will continue to accelerate. With increased connectivity comes the challenge of data security and with more sophisticated ADAS systems the technical ability to undertake more complex installation and calibration checks becomes essential. Add to this the challenge of different powertrains and the level of sophistication required for both current and future technicians couldn’t be higher. As vehicles change so must the skillset of people working in the retail networks.

Change of focus

This is a major challenge to the thinking within the sector. In the past we had Master Technicians but that was historically based around one powertrain often within one franchise. Going forward there is going to be a need for omnicompetent Technicians who have the capacity to work across different powertrains but also have detailed knowledge of the ADAS and security requirements of connected vehicles.

The other important aspect to pinpoint is that EVs have fewer moving parts, so there won’t be as many items to replace and work on. The industry will not be able to afford to employ people with only one dimension to their skillset.

Both businesses and employees will have to invest time and resource into future proofing their skills.  Omnicompetence delivers for both the business and the individual. These types of highly skilled people are going to be in great demand as the technology changes, but they will also be delivering value that guarantees not only the after sales but also the future sustainability of the whole organisation.

There may be further changes proposed but by educating a multi-skilled omnicompetent workforce we’ll have the resilience to drive our way through whatever ‘Land of Confusion’ any government now or in the future manages to create.