Technician competence beyond the factory gates is critical for automated vehicles safety

The IMI urges government to integrate robust workforce accreditation into Statement of Safety Principles to protect workers, employers and road users.

As the voice of the UK automotive workforce, the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) is leading calls for government to ensure technician competence is an integral part of the Statement of Safety Principles for automated vehicles. And it is proposing the IMI TechSafe standard provides a ready-made and proven solution for swift implementation.

“The race is on for automated vehicles to be more widely used on UK roads, but the government must urgently address the skills needed to maintain, repair, calibrate and update these vehicles throughout their operational life,” said Nick Connor CEO of the IMI. “Without clear professional standards for workforce competence, embedded in law, the safety case for automated vehicles is incomplete, presenting a serious risk to consumer confidence.”

In its response to the government’s consultation on automated vehicles, the IMI has highlighted the significant threat the current skills gap in the automotive workforce represents. Currently only 3% of UK technicians are qualified to work on vehicles featuring Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

“Our concern is that the gap will widen as automated vehicles become more widely used on UK roads,” added Nick Connor. “The government must act now to mitigate this risk, which has the potential to compromise both safety and consumer confidence. There needs to be explicit inclusion of technician competence in the safety standards for automated vehicles throughout their operational life – which IMI TechSafe could fulfil – and government support to accelerate training across the automotive workforce.”

The IMI TechSafe standard, already recognised by government and industry as the benchmark for EV and ADAS competence, provides a proven model that could be rapidly extended to cover automated vehicle systems. Embedding IMI TechSafe within the Statement of Safety Principles would give consumers reassurance; provide the industry with clarity and deliver a ready-made solution to government to ensure the UK is prepared for the AV era.

The IMI stands ready to collaborate with government, regulators, and industry to ensure that automated vehicles are not only safe when they are launched, but remain safe throughout their entire lifespan.

The IMI’s response represents more than 120,000 members and 73,000 learners, from apprentices through to senior leaders.