A Career in the Motor Industry

A Career in the Motor Industry… What’s your first impression when you think of the motor industry?  It probably comes from personal experience as much as what’s in the careers library, and has little to do with these notions – and more to do with the stereotypical characters we see on weekly soaps.   

Automotive Skills

Automotive Skills, the Sector Skills Council for the motor industry, is responsible for supporting the industry in these exciting times, and ensuring it has the skills that are needed to push not only itself forward in the 21st century, but also UK plc, which relies so heavily on the technical expertise of those in the automotive sector to keep fleet and stock moving.  To help you get up to speed, we’ve provided a low-down on this dynamic sector which truly can offer opportunities for everyone.

Working In The Motor Industry

Working in the motor industry at present are over 500,000 peopl, by around 70,000 employers.  The industry is worth £130 billion to the UK economy.  Simply put, the retail motor industry describes commercial activity after the vehicle has left the factory gates – a quite different range of skills are required than those needed to put the vehicle together in the first place.  Employers are predominantly small (95 per cent have less than 25 employees according to the National Employers Skills Survey 2003).  There are though a number of major players in the industry – not least manufacturers who support dealership networks, the dealer networks themselves (generally not as recognisable of course as the marques themselves – although Pendragon, the largest dealer network, achieved over £3.1 billion turnover in 2003/04) and other key employers such as the Automobile Association, RAC and Kwik-Fit.  The Institute of the Motor Industry recently launched an accreditation scheme for technicians, ensuring employers know that their staff are qualified to do the job. 

Careers In The Motor Industry Route Map

Careers in the motor industry can be broken into six key areas – its ‘sub-sectors’.  Each will also require various levels of administrative, HR, finance and operational support.

Vehicle Sales
Beyond just a salesperson with the right patter, 21st century vehicle sales is a sophisticated business – managed by on-line stock and customer management systems, and increasingly using the web to reach even more potential buyers.  Finance is of course big business in this industry. 

Vehicle Maintenance, Repair and Fast-fit
Imagine how we would manage without technicians to keep our cars on the road, whether for business or pleasure, and you can begin to realise the importance of this sub-sector.  Use of electronics and software for fault diagnosis is becoming increasingly commonplace, and even a tyre change may not be a straightforward operation – special tools are needed for example for run-flat tyres. 

Vehicle Body Repair and Refinishing
Think of this in terms of repairing accident damage – this work involves panel beating to flatten the surface, fitting of new parts where appropriate, preparation of the surface and the final repainting.  Especially well suited to those with a creative bent, this sub-sector often attracts young females. 

Vehicle Parts
Somebody – usually titled a ‘Parts operative’ – has to be responsible for making sure all of the workshops in the industry have spare parts to improve and repair vehicles.  Again, very sophisticated computer systems are in place to track location of parts and enable smooth distribution and maintenance of stock.  

Roadside Assistance and Recovery
Can you imagine life without the ‘knights of the road’?  The AA, the RAC and Green Flag are certainly the best known operators.  It takes a lot of technical experience to get into a role on the road, along with excellent customer service skills and maturity to handle potentially distressing situations.  However operational staff behind the scenes are just as important in getting the motorist out of a sticky situation. 

Vehicle Rental and Leasing
With a strong customer focus and an eye to the tourist market, rental describes short term hire of vehicles.  Leasing on the other hand is concerned with the long-term financing of vehicles – often over a three year period.  Rental usually brings employees into direct contact with the customer, whereas leasing is generally office-based. 

Automotive Skills

Careers Information Folder
Containing six inserts, each profiling a different part of the retail motor industry.  An excellent introduction to the key career options, recommended for use by careers advisers and other information providers. 

Career Driven Magazine
A careers and lifestyle magazine produced by The Independent in partnership with Automotive Skills which encourages young people of all backgrounds to consider the vast range of career options on offer. 

AutoCity™
The interactive careers CD-Rom produced by Automotive Skills. AutoCity™ is loaded with all the latest careers information, giving young people a snapshot of what happens in the different sectors of the industry. AutoCity™ was developed in association with employers and other stakeholders.

Careers In The Motor Industry Helpline 0800 093 1777
Supported by learndirect, our helpline enables enquirers aged 16+ to get advice, look for courses and find out more about their options in the industry. 

www.automotiveskills.org.uk/careers
The Automotive Skills careers control centre – our website is being constantly updated to provide the latest news, links and information about careers in the motor industry.  We have also incorporated a dedicated course search facility, with the support of learndirect and hotcourses. 

Promotional materials
Automotive Skills can also make available stocks of flyers signposting our website and contact details for further careers information – ideal for events and workshops.

Key links
There are a number of trade associations and awarding bodies supporting the industry. 

Automotive Distribution Federation www.adf.org.uk
British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association www.bvrla.co.uk
City and Guilds www.city-and-guilds.co.uk
Edexcel www.edexcel.org.uk
Institute of the Motor Industry www.motor.org.uk
Motorcyle Industry Association www.mcia.co.uk
Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders www.smmt.co.uk
Society of Operations Engineers www.soe.org.uk

Contact us
If you have any queries about careers in the motor industry, or would simply like to order stocks of our materials, don’t hesitate to get in touch. 

Email: careers@automotiveskills.org.uk
Telephone: 020 7436 6373
Web: www.automotiveskills.org.uk/careers

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