Relationship advice: Lucas-Nülle Group

In this article: The IMI’s Partner of the Year winner at this year’s annual dinner, Lucas-Nülle Group closely supports the IMI’s mission and work. It’s Academy manager, Daniel Brown talks to MotorPro about how the industry is changing, the skills it needs and the growing relationship with the IMI

How has the relationship between the IMI and Lucas-Nülle Group developed, and what benefits have you seen from the relationship?

We have been working together with the IMI for almost five years now, but it’s really intensified over the last two years. The partnership came about as we were looking for a partner to help us deliver high value international qualifications for our customers around the world.
IMI Qualifications are now a major focus for us when developing training materials, so that now, when someone trains using our systems, they know they are covering what needs to be done in order to satisfy the qualification.

Working so closely with the IMI has allowed us put everything into one package, meaning that the customer can purchase the training equipment, the train the trainer and become an IMI Approved Assessment Centre, all in one offer. This has generated a huge amount of interest around the world, particularly in countries that do not have their own qualifications.

As the industry evolves, (electrification, connectivity and ADAS), what impact is that having on training?

Vehicles are becoming more complex with increased systems that need to be learnt in order to repair correctly. Technicians have always had to continually develop in order to keep up, but this pace is increasing. Most techs I know spend their free time reading up and learning about the latest systems just to keep up. I think modern techs are more used to computer based systems and are more open to online learning.

How has Lucas-Nülle Group adapted to the changing shape of the industry?

Technology has been key to our business and we work closely with industry to try and identify trends from the outset. We have been using eLearning digitally connected with hardware, what we call blended learning for more than 20 years now and our first hybrid/electric vehicle training course is almost 10 years old, so looking to the future really is a part of our DNA.

How are skills requirements changing - some people talk about a shift to more IT-based skills for example?

Definitely, the automotive industry must be one of the most dynamic industries out there; 20-30 years ago, one could get by with a cursory knowledge of electricity and electronics, but now this is fundamental and a high level knowledge of computer networking systems is required.

Diagnostics is a critical skill now and complete systems understanding is required to perform efficiently in the modern workshop.

The industry always talks about a skills shortage, but what can be done to counter this?

People often respond to incentives, not just monetary, but also by having a purpose and working in an environment that you actually want to spend a large portion of your life in. There is often the stereotype of the “dirty mechanic” and the workshop that you can’t see the floor of is not going to be very enticing. We need to break this stereotype and showcase those that offer attractive workplaces and a way to progress a career would definitely help. Professionalising the industry, which the IMI does a fantastic job of, will help raise the standards and make the sector more attractive.

What does the future hold for the IMI- Lucas-Nülle Group relationship?

We are really excited about our future with the IMI, our recent work on Electric Vehicle Standards has proven that there is a massive need for Internationally recognised qualifications, so we are now working on bringing not only EV qualifications, but also light vehicle qualifications as well, which we see a massive need for around the world.

Find out who the other winners were and their stories here.