Car makers tap into temporary techs

A new recruitment solution is helping leading UK car manufacturers tackle the skills shortage, saving dealerships an estimated £11m in potential lost revenue.

The Manufacturer Led Programme (MLP) gives car manufacturers access to the agency’s network of more than 450 skilled, vetted, temporary vehicle technicians.

To date, Autotech Recruit has formed MLP partnerships with seven major manufacturers, including Ford, Skoda, Toyota, and BMW. This has resulted in 120 temporary vehicle technicians completing their manufacturer-specific training under MLP, and subsequently filling almost 95,000 hours within franchise dealer networks.

A further 65,000 hours were filled last year by Autotech Recruit’s non MLP temporary vehicle technicians, underlining the growing reliance automotive businesses have on contractors to cover short term labour gaps.

Simon King, managing director of Autotech Recruit, 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.”

As part of MLP, temporary vehicle technicians are trained to the specific brand standards at the manufacturer’s dedicated training facilities. Autotech Recruit then provides the contractors with the relevant uniform to ensure a manufacturer’s professional requirements are maintained.

Autotech Recruit also customises its unique, online booking portal to suit each client, providing dealers with total, real-time visibility of bookings and placements across multiple sites alongside the ability to swiftly book temporary vehicle technicians to cover any shortfalls.