Skills is firmly on the agenda of the UK government. In February, the Education Committee launched a new inquiry that will see parliamentarians investigate how the entire further education system could better equip young people with skills and qualifications. Crucially, the inquiry will examine apprenticeships, Skills England’s role, and reforms to T Levels and BTECs, while also addressing workforce pressures, including the pay gap, lecturer shortages, and their impact on technical education quality.
Apprenticeship Reforms and a Skills Strategy were also announced during National Apprenticeship Week, with plans to shorten the minimum apprenticeship duration to eight months and provide greater flexibility for employers over English and Maths requirements for apprentices aged 19 and over. However, disappointingly, there was no specific focus on automotive.
The IMI therefore remains committed to working closely with the government to ensure that the needs of the automotive sector are fully considered in the next stage of policy development. We stand ready to collaborate on solutions that address current and future skills shortages, particularly in the context of the transition to net zero and the growth of digital technologies within automotive.
This focus on skills is incredibly high on the IMI’s agenda as well. As the professional body for all individuals in automotive, the IMI is driving the future of automotive professionals, ensuring that we support the sector in building a modern, resilient and futureproof workforce, of which skills for the present and future are necessary.
2025 IMI Skills Competitions nominations
One such way that the IMI highlights automotive skills and celebrates new talent in the automotive sector is the annual IMI Skills Competitions. Designed to identify the most talented young apprentices working in the automotive sector, the IMI Skills Competitions have grown in popularity in recent years.
Employers, trainers and colleges are urged to go even further in 2025 as the sector continues to face significant skills challenges. Open to anyone studying or completed a Level 3 qualification or apprenticeship within the last 12 months, there is clear evidence that the programme has a real impact on those taking part. 90% of previous entrants say their career progression improved after competing and 86% stated their personal and employability skills had improved. With much of the participation online and only the latter stages requiring time out of work, the IMI believes the return for apprentices and their employers far outweighs the commitment required to enter.
As well as being celebrated as the best of the best in the UK, some of the finalists, if they are age eligible, may have the opportunity to progress on to Team UK for the biannual WorldSkills International competition.
Today is your last day to nominate your apprentices and nominations can be made in four streams: automotive technology, automotive body repair, automotive refinishing and heavy vehicle technology.
For more information, please visit the IMI Skills Competition Page here.
Championing success
Richard Hutchins, IMI Skills Competitions Manager, also sat down with two of the gold medal winners of the 2024 IMI Skills Competitions to learn more about how they have benefitted from participating in the competition and what it means for their careers in the latest Insights by the IMI series.
Victoria Steele was the 2024 gold medal winner in the Refinishing category; Jordan Lingham took home Gold for Body Repair. They both work at Swansea-based Sinclair Group, and they were joined by their manager Daniel, to talk about how they found about the competitions, what’s involved in entering and why they think it’s so important for apprentices to consider entering this year.
You can hear the full podcast here.
