Volvo Car UK has doubled the number of contractors within its Temporary Technician Programme (TTP) with Autotech Recruit due to the ongoing success of the initiative – which has helped the vehicle manufacturer cover over 30,000 hours across its UK sites since its launch in 2018.
TTP was created to enable Volvo to tap into Autotech Recruit’s network of over 450 skilled temporary vehicle technicians and bridge workforce gaps, helping Volvo’s network of over 100 dealership sites in the UK maintain the right level of resource and capacity.
The programme saw eight Autotech Recruit contractors undertake intense manufacturer training at Volvo’s Training and Development Centre to ensure they held the skill set to work on Volvo-specific software and vehicle components. To maintain brand standards, Autotech Recruit also equipped each technician with a Volvo uniform.
Geographically spread across the country to maximise coverage across Volvo sites, the eight contractors were bookable through a dedicated portal created by Autotech Recruit and paid a fixed hourly rate.
Since 2018, these eight original contractors under TTP have filled over 755 weeks for Volvo, helping to cover absences and recruitment gaps, and the initiative has been utilised by over 70% of the Volvo network.
Now, to meet rising demand, Autotech Recruit has doubled the number of temporary technicians under the programme, with a further eight contractors undertaking Volvo’s silver-standard training in March this year and placed within Volvo sites.
Phil Murton, aftersales programmes manager for Volvo Car UK, said: “Volvo Car UK is delighted that the Volvo Temporary Technician Programme, working with Autotech Recruit, continues to support its customers and retailers in times of need, and the latest addition of Volvo-trained and certified technicians not only strengthens the programme, but demonstrates VCUK’s commitment to constantly adapting.”
Simon King, managing director of Autotech Group, said: “The skills shortage is affecting the entire industry. Dealership workshops are no different from independent garages in this respect – they still need to recruit vehicle technicians to ensure they are running at optimum capacity. However, they do need technicians with the brand-specific skill set, which is why we created TTP and the MLP. We are delighted with the ongoing success of the programmes, which is demonstrative of the demand for additional resources.
“We continue to invest heavily in our contractors to ensure they are trained to the highest level so we can provide the best solution to our clients. This not only ensures the industry can meet growing demand efficiently, but it also safeguards the career of vehicle technicians.”
