Invest in your future

Last year was tough for apprentices. The pandemic severely disrupted their learning, and it stopped a lot of companies bringing fresh talent into the industry. 

But, despite the immediate effects of the pandemic which have resulted in job losses and many workers being put on furlough, the automotive industry still needs new blood.

The rapid move to electrified vehicles, more connected systems and more intelligent, autonomous technologies all require the development of highly skilled employees.

Thankfully 2021 should be more positive and many organisations are looking once again at developing their workforce, including taking on more apprentices. 

Everyone in the industry should be thinking about this. The money is there. The Apprenticeship Levy is certainly not be perfect, and we are regularly lobbying Skills and Apprenticeships Minister Gillian Keegan on that issue.  But it nevertheless ring fences funds to help companies take on and train apprentices. So, if you’re a large employer you need to act as the apprenticeship funds do have a use-by date. It’s better to spend your levy on training before the government takes the money back…..and believe me they have no intention of granting any extension on the clawback of funds because, as Minister Gillian Keegan has pointed out to us, whilst many of the larger employers in our sector may have regularly used most or all of their accrued levy funds, the bigger picture across all sectors is that only around 50% of the levy funds get used by employers. That money of course goes towards funding apprenticeships for smaller, non-levy paying employers. 

Now is a good time to think about apprentices, with National Apprenticeship Week just around the corner. We’ll be using our social media channels to highlight everything automotive and apprenticeship-related throughout the week, starting from Monday 8 February.

There’s a wealth of information if you want to become or provide an apprenticeship on our website, as well as a huge amount of content delivered by MotorPro.

The IMI will always shout about the benefits of taking on apprentices, how important they are, and fight the skills corner. We’ve got all sorts of resources to support you. If you need us please get in touch. We’re available on +44 (0)1992 519025, or send emails to hello@theimi.org.uk.

Stay safe,

Steve