Skills England has published its latest report assessing the skills needs across a range of sectors and underlining the value of apprenticeships and continued training.
The report, Sector Evidence to Support the Growth and Skills Offer, follows its September report, Driving Growth and Widening Opportunities, which outlined how developing skills can drive national growth.
Based on its latest findings, Skills England has recognised that the UK’s skills system must evolve to meet the scale and speed of economic and technological change.
This has been welcomed by the IMI, which said urgent reform is critical, but it also urged the Skills England to consider a strategy that takes the automotive aftermarket into account rather than just manufacturing.
Serious skills shortfall
Hayley Pells, government affairs lead at the IMI, said: “We support the report’s focus on making the apprenticeship system more agile, responsive, and inclusive. The urgency couldn’t be clearer: our latest Labour Market and Vacancy Tracker shows over 17,000 unfilled roles in automotive, with technical and specialist jobs hardest to recruit.
“Technician postings jumped four per cent last quarter, and salaries are up 13% in just two years, proof of a fast-moving sector battling a serious skills shortfall.
“However, the Skills England evidence base, while broad, under-represents the automotive aftermarket and technician workforce. Despite contributing significantly to employment, net zero ambitions, and clean growth, this sector is often overlooked in wider skills analysis.
“This risks policy decisions that ignore the downstream skills demands beyond manufacturing gates.”
Government action
The IMI is now urging Skills England to:
- Prioritise the creation of shorter, stackable apprenticeship pathways and bolt-on training modules that reflect real-world training needs in areas like battery safety, high voltage systems, and autonomous technologies
- Expand the use of flexible delivery models, such as the IMI and WMG’s Further Education Lecturer Reservists (FELR) proposal
- Address the disproportionate barriers faced by SMEs, and who struggle with the complexity of apprenticeship funding and the administrative burden
- Recognise the urgent shortfall in ADAS-qualified technicians: only two per cent of the current workforce holds the required credentials
Sector-specific skills
Pells concluded: “Skills England is right to call for a system that meets sector-specific skills demands from Level 2 to Level 6+. In automotive, Level 3 remains foundational, especially for hands-on skilled trades. Yet our sector also needs Level 4/5 technical qualifications, reskilling pathways, and accelerated routes to competence. A single route or reform will not suffice.
“Finally, we urge Skills England to provide clearer visibility of how it will engage with sector-specific experts, including professional bodies like the IMI, in future LSIP development, employer evidence gathering, and the co-design of sector plans under the new Industrial Strategy.
“We are ready to support Skills England in building a responsive, inclusive, and future-ready skills system, but that system must recognise and reflect the entire automotive landscape, not just its most visible parts.”
