The skills shortage in the road transport industry has been a growing industry challenge, most recently due to the lack of HGV drivers, but the focus has now switched to the critical difficulties in recruiting heavy vehicle technicians for bus and coach, and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).
The challenge is stark and Logistics UK’s ‘Skills & Employment’ report for the third quarter of 2024 highlighted that skilled road transport roles, such as mechanics and technicians, remain difficult to fill, with 51.7% of businesses reporting they were experiencing “severe recruitment issues”.
A key to overcoming the challenges that the industry faces and to close the technician skills gap is increasing the number of apprentices, which is the entry point to train people for this high-skilled role.
“Quite frankly, these are eye-watering statistics around technicians. We have a big challenge ahead,” explains Bethany Windsor, head of skills policy at Logistics UK, who also notes that technicians have been lost to HGV driving, due to the rising salaries being offered to attract drivers.
Lawrie Alford, guidance, knowledge and principal consultant for LATC Automotive UK, an ASK skills mentor and an IRTE Professional Sector Council member, believes the skills shortage for technicians is not going to go away quickly and will take time to overcome.
“It is going to get worse before it gets better, because you do not train an apprentice overnight,” he warns. “It is not until after three or four years that they start to really become productive and knowledgeable. It is probably going to take us about a decade to get to where we want to be.”
Sally Gilson, policy manager for skills at the RHA, notes that like the driver shortage, the technician skills shortage has been slowly building and it threatens to have a serious impact over the next few years if “interventions are not implemented now”.
“Apprenticeships are vitally important to training new technicians: without them, we will not be able to train the numbers necessary and vehicles won’t be able to be inspected and maintained,” Gilson says.
TRAINING
Training is proving a challenge to boosting vehicle technician numbers, as there has been a gradual decline in the number of independent training providers (ITPs), offering the heavy vehicle technician apprenticeship course.
There were around 100 colleges and training providers in 2010, delivering the Level 3 qualification for a heavy vehicle technician, but only 39 last year, as many struggle with costs, such as course equipment and training assessments, which makes some technical routes more difficult to deliver.
Gilson actually believes the number is lower, citing that only 20 colleges and ITPs are currently registered with the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), indicating the number actively offering the course is even lower.
Increasing the number of vehicle technicians qualified to Level 3 also takes time, as the Level 3 Heavy Vehicle Maintenance and Repair apprenticeship is three years long, and with a critical shortage already reported , any changes will take time to have a positive effect.
A provider leading the charge is Remit Training, which offers automotive apprenticeships to companies in the UK and recently opened its fifth automotive technician training academy, in Derby. Daimler Truck is a partner in the academy and will benefit from the training facilities, including working on vehicles, and using classrooms.
Truck manufacturers such as DAF Trucks and Renault Trucks are now actually moving away from using colleges of further education to help with the training of their dealership apprentices; instead, they are setting up in-house facilities, as they look to find a long-term solution to the growing technician shortage (see pages 26-27).
There is some positive news: recently, the Oxford Bus Group announced it will recruit five new apprentices this year, with a focus on vehicle mechanic and electrician roles, and Leyland Trucks will take on 22 apprentices across a diverse range of commercial vehicle manufacturing disciplines.
GROWING REQUIREMENTS
The transition to zero-emission vehicles is adding another challenge to providers of technician apprenticeship programmes, as they are having to incorporate these new emerging technologies into syllabuses, which does not come easily, or cheaply.
This comes at a considerable cost to the colleges and ITPs and current funding rules reportedly make it difficult to include these costs within the training quotes that help determine which funding band the apprenticeship should be in.
The Level 3 Heavy Vehicle Maintenance and Repair apprenticeship is now being updated to include zero-emission vehicles, but with the existing funding challenges for colleges and ITPs, this only adds another layer of cost and complexity, and it is imperative that their voices are heard.
At the end of 2023 there were around 45,300 technicians qualified to work on zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) in automotive retail, according to Rebecca Smith, policy skills manager at the SMMT, and she adds that research by the IMI suggests up to 107,000 EV-trained technicians will be needed by 2030.
POLICY REFORMS
Government support and policy for apprenticeships is also crucial, and it has been reformed with the Growth and Skills Levy replacing the Apprenticeship Levy, which ministers believe will lead to 10,000 more apprentices qualifying per year and boost uptake.
Under the new system, 50% of the levy will be reserved specifically for apprenticeships. Companies can then use up to 50% of their levy contributions for non-apprenticeship training such as shorter courses. Importantly, employers will retain the flexibility to allocate as much or all their levy towards apprenticeships as they choose.
The minimum length of an apprenticeship in England has also been reduced from 12 months to eight months, and businesses can now decide whether adult learners over the age of 19 when they start their apprenticeship course, will need to complete a level 2 English and maths qualification (equivalent to GCSE) to pass it.
The reforms have been welcomed. The RHA believes the moves will make some apprenticeships in transport and logistics “more viable for the industry”, as firms will have more choice on courses. Gilson explains that it will remove barriers to the successful completion of some apprenticeships, while helping to support people into rewarding careers.
Windsor was also positive about the changes, as she believes anything that opens up either starting or completing an apprenticeship “has to be a good thing”. She adds: “Our members are telling us that there are plenty of training certification qualification opportunities out there, but not all of them are levy funded and, in some cases, only part of it is funded.”
The SMMT’s Smith sees the launch of Skills England and the new Growth and Skills Levy as a “key opportunity”, which can help improve training provision and access, ensuring it is up-to-date with industry’s latest needs. However, she adds: “The industry needs to see modular training available and this offers true training flexibility, not simply accelerated apprenticeships."
CHANGE PERCEPTIONS
Even with reforms to policy, funding and access, another major challenge lies in the negative impression of apprenticeships in some circles, and poor communication in regard to how fulfilling careers in the road transport industry can be.
Ian Foster, director of engineering strategy at bus operator Metroline, and a director of Catlynn Transport Consultants, who is also an IRTE PSC member, calls for “more joined-up thinking” that encompasses government, schools, colleges, careers services and companies.
Apprentices are a key part of the workforce at Metroline and Foster – himself a former apprentice – says it employs around 20 a year with many progressing through to senior positions. He estimates around 50% of the apprentices it has employed in the last 20 years still work for the company, but he notes that Metroline also faces challenges in recruiting.
Foster says: “We need to find a way of linking into young people. We need to make noise about engineering, shout into the skies about the opportunities within engineering, the people in engineering and better explain the opportunities and benefits that exist.”
He wants to see better marketing and access to young people, but believes something holding us back is the continued obsession at government level on university education over vocational training.
LATC‘s Alford, who started his own career as a technical apprentice, believes that a major barrier is the negative impression of apprenticeships from the parents of young children. He feels that parents are too obssessed with their children going to university, emphasising the need to increase interest in apprenticeships among young people.
He wants to see a more collaborative effort involving students, parents and teachers, to fully understand the value that an apprenticeship can have.
Alford believes that industry mentors can play an important role, as they can engage with schools to shine a positive light on apprenticeships and careers in the road transport industry.
He is under no doubt about the potential for career progression and the value of apprenticeships in gaining practical experience, and the importance of starting at entry level to build a career, as he did when starting out as an apprentice decades ago.
STEM FOCUS
There is a clear consensus that the value of apprenticeships needs to be woven into education from a young age and the SMMT’s Smith believes a multi-pronged approach is needed, creating pathways between T Levels and apprenticeships. She feels this would maximise their impact on employers and trainees and can help diversify how new talent is recruited.
“Even before that, however, STEM teaching in schools can be improved, while a more up-to-date and inclusive image of ‘industry’ can be promoted – as one that offers modern, green, well-paid, highly skilled, rewarding and diverse careers,” Smith adds.
Smith believes that support is needed to change “outdated perceptions of the industry” but the challenge remains ensuring young people (and their families or carers) understand that the industry offers great careers.
Windsor points out there will always be people who have a “pejorative perception” of apprenticeships. “I wish they had called it something different, because I do think the older generation can have quite a negative perception,” she says.
“But apprenticeships speak for themselves. You come out with no debt, a qualification, and you have progression routes for other qualifications.
“The perception of the road transport and logistics sector also needs to be better communicated with younger people, explaining about the benefits and opportunities of the industry.”
BOX: INTEGRAL TO SUCCESS
Alexander Dennis is at the forefront of the bus and coach sector, but has challenges recruiting and funding apprentices, who are a key and vital part of its workforce.
The Scotland-headquartered company now employs 61 apprentices and takes on between six and 10 each year across different functions, depending on the needs of the business.
“If we did not have the apprentices, then we would struggle to recruit skilled employees to have a vehicle in place, where we could pass that knowledge on and retain it,” explains training manager Robert Lapsley. “We are a production facility, and every single one of these vehicles is hand-built.”
Alexander Dennis offers apprenticeship opportunities in automotive engineering or electrical automotive engineering at its UK manufacturing sites in Falkirk, Larbert and Scarborough. The four-year training plan gives a National Certificate, Higher National Certificate or Level 3 vocational qualification. National certificates are gained at a local college on day release and vocational qualifications are measured against work-based learning.
Lapsley explains there are two key elements. The first is attaining the engineer knowledge and the second is three-month on-the-job training at its sites in Falkirk and Scarborough, where apprentices work alongside experienced engineers, learning key elements of the build.
“One of the things that we are very proud of is giving apprentices the exposure and knowledge to all areas of our business to better understand what Alexander Dennis does and to know that what they do on a day-to-day basis impacts the business,” Lapsley says.
The bus and coach manufacturer faces challenges in recruiting but is working with local colleges to showcase the opportunities. It has employees who started as apprentices and have been with the company for 30 to 40 years.
Lapsley says: “Retention is not an issue as once apprentices are in the programme, they see the value and opportunities for growth within the company. There is a natural evolution of apprentices becoming skilled workers and passing on their knowledge to the next generation.”
There are also challenges with the current qualification system, Lapsley notes, which is based on the car industry and does not fully align with the bus industry's needs. Alexander Dennis is collaborating with local colleges to adapt and improve the qualification to better suit the industry, including contextualising learning to relevant systems in buses.
The new qualification will be rolled out this year, making it more relevant and effective for the bus industry and, Lapsley says, Alexander Dennis apprentices will soon be some of the first to gain this new industry qualification.
With a skills shortage, apprentices play an important role in addressing this issue and Lapsley emphasises the need for more focused support at government level to sustain apprenticeship programmes, calling for more investment to ensure the UK is competitive in global markets.
This includes more support for companies taking on apprentices and investing in them. The bus and coach industry relies on highly-skilled employees, who are critical to their success but are in increasingly short supply, due to various barriers, inefficiencies and perceptions.
Alexander Dennis faces challenges in funding and support for apprenticeships and is exploring ways to incentivise apprenticeships through procurement contracts and government support.
Lapsley concludes: “There is clear evidence that the apprenticeship programmes at our Falkirk and Scarborough sites work. We are developing these young people coming through, who have got a very good understanding of the business.”
