Finding young service department talent is tough enough but keeping them is the real challenge. A new survey reveals the reasons automotive apprentices don’t stay the distance – and how to change that
The skills crisis currently faced by the automotive retail sector may be more visible at present, but the reality is the shortage of trained technicians in car dealership workshops predates the current brace of challenges facing the industry.
The ravages of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and subsequent lockdowns dealt a tough blow to the workforces of dealerships, with a tranche of young recruits exiting the industry on the back of government wage subsidies, while the lure of similarly compensated jobs in less physically demanding employment sectors hasn’t helped.
A landmark new study commissioned by the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA), the Australian Automotive Dealer Association (AADA) and the Motor Trades Association of Queensland (MTA Queensland) delves into the issues faced by automotive apprentices of all experience levels across the spectrum, to help answer the biggest dilemma faced by many workshops – why don’t automotive apprentices stay on?
“Skills shortages are severely impacting dealerships at the moment and the outlook for the future remains grim,” said AADA’s CEO James Voortman.
“Automotive apprentices are essential, but the fact is that many of them leave the trade early and don’t complete their training. It is critical, not just for our members’ businesses but also for our economy that we are able to keep cars and trucks on our roads and we need skilled and qualified tradespeople to do that.”
The ACA Research survey, which is available HERE, shows that while first-year apprentices are happy and engaged, the issue of repetitive tasks and low rates of pay are already rearing as issues.
These issues manifest themselves in the fourth year of training, with overall job satisfaction rates falling by 42 per cent between first- and fourth-year trainees.
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A lack of confidence in career prospects and in the knowledge and skills of their trainers by the time they hit their fourth year is also evident.
As well, fourth-year apprentices felt that unpleasant work environments and lack of training support from employers presented challenges to their apprenticeship experience.
This manifested itself in 24 per cent of fourth-year respondents changing employers, 53 per cent considering jobs outside the industry and a sobering 35 per cent considering dropping their apprenticeship altogether.
However, there are rays of light in the survey; 34 per cent of fourth-years said they wanted to stay in the industry for a long time, a small fall from 36 percent of first-years.
More than half of the fourth-year respondents were highly interested in becoming a master tradesperson, 49 per cent wanted to help educate the next generation of apprentices, while 45 per cent were very keen on becoming involved in workshop management.
The survey also looked at the place of female apprentices in the industry, with a staggering 25 per cent of female apprentices feeling the need to switch employers in order to advance in their careers, compared to 11 percent of male apprentices.
The end result, though, shows that fewer female apprentices consider leaving the industry (three per cent) than their male counterparts (11 per cent) when asked about their future.
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Other themes to come through include an overwhelming desire to be exposed to new technologies during apprenticeships (more than half of all respondents) while 64 percent thought it very important that the industry adapt to technological changes.
“What is fantastic about the research is that it contains some very practical insights for our employers, about how to find employees and how to keep them engaged in developing long-term careers and high-level skills within our industry,” said Stuart Charity, AAAA’s Chief Executive Officer.
“The skills shortage issue is complex and this research will enable us to work with industry on solutions that will be effective and enduring.”
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