Growth, investment & revenues secure skills for the future

Business Secretary Vince Cable announced the £30m initiative in early 2015. Jo Lopes, Chair of the Automotive Industrial Partnership and Head of Technical Excellence, Jaguar Land Rover hailed the launch as an important moment in the history of the sector.

“This is an exceptional moment for our sector. The Automotive Industrial Partnership brings together the sector’s employers to work collaboratively on an unprecedented scale. The unified effort, from all sides of the industry and government, will ensure that the automotive sector will thrive for generations to come."

“The partnership will see large manufacturers working alongside SME supply chain employers, to develop good practice that the entire industry will benefit from. We are aiming to inspire the next generation of vehicle makers and create new routes into automotive careers, as well as upskilling those that already work in the industry”.

Vince Cable, Business Secretary said: “This investment puts our automotive sector in the driving seat to design the skills our manufacturing companies need. There is a risk that without adequate investment in skills, the industry will run into serious skills bottlenecks."

Among the household names driving the partnership are; Bentley, BMW, Ford, GKN, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan, Toyota and Vauxhall. Not for profit employer led skills organisation Semta, industry trade association the SMMT working through the Automotive Council also support the Automotive Industrial Partnership in conjunction with the Industry Forum, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.

The initiatives include Supporting the development and roll out of robust and quality focused new world class Apprenticeship Standards, with the development of Trailblazer Apprenticeships in seven key areas. Piloting a range of programmes to attract more work ready new entrants to the sector. Carrying out in depth research to establish automotive industry employers’ current and future skills needs.