With National Apprenticeship Week – February 5 to February 11 – rapidly approaching, what better time could there be to discuss how apprenticeships can shape and reshape the future of individuals, businesses and the wider industry? And who better to explore this than somebody who has been through the process themselves and now guides and supports others on the same journey?
It was after leaving school that Michael Golding (pictured), network manager at LV= General Insurance, decided to pursue a three-year City and Guilds apprenticeship scheme at an accident repair centre – which marked the start of his journey into the insurance sector. He then spent the next decade of his career at the site, he said, learning about vehicle damage assessment and estimations, before taking on a role as a body shop manager in London.
“Following this, I then went on to take my Institute Automobile Engineer Assessors exams to become an insurance assessor for an Independent Engineering company for five years,” he said. “I started at Highway Insurance in 2002 as an engineer and then developed into a management role relating to networks and engineering.
“My background in bodyshops has proven incredibly useful over the years with my insight into processes and procedures, and I’m a huge advocate of apprenticeships having gone down that route myself.”
Golding noted that diversity of background and having a skilled and varied workforce is a critical factor in the success and sustainability of any business.
With the average age of a skilled technician currently around 48, more people are leaving the profession or retiring, he said, and key skills aren’t being passed on. With a mix of young people unaware of the opportunities, and only a small proportion of women exploring careers in the bodyshop technician profession as examples, there are many opportunities to start attracting lots of different people within the industry.
Exploring some of the key advantages of an apprenticeship scheme, Golding highlighted the variety of ways in which implementing such a program can help to future proof the insurance industry.
From a recruitment and development perspective, he said, it provides people with the opportunity to try something new and expand the skills they’ve already gained. For example, it’s incredibly important that the sector starts to look at the different types of training needed, such as repairing electric vehicles, which is very different to repairing petrol/diesel cars.
“From a business perspective, this is crucial to help ensure our customers will receive the best customer service and get their cars back on the road with speed,” he said. “With pre-agreed prices for repairs and quicker decision making through our network, we can ensure the highest standards while controlling costs, so that we can pass this on to customers through premiums. It will also help limit the use of courtesy cars which has seen significant inflationary pressure and jumped around 47% in cost.”
From the perspective of the wider sector, he said, these programs help future proof the industry for the long-term and ensure important skills are being transferred to the next generation. The skills learnt and developed from a bodyshop are so transferable within the sector, whether that’s going on to work for a manufacturer, accident management company, or exploring how to pass your knowledge on via training.
“Many bodyshops and garages are investing in their sites with new, modern, and bright facilities and vehicle technology is also driving interesting new advancements,” he added. “All of this combined, while earning and investing in a future offers huge career developments.”
Looking at the example set by LV=‘s own apprenticeship program, he noted that, in its effort to address the skills shortage it is seeing across the market, the business is proud to be an AutoRaise sponsored partner, with a focus on raising awareness and value in apprenticeships.
“AutoRaise is set up to help the UK vehicle repair industry address the skills shortage, promote a range of technical apprenticeships, and work with repairers, training providers and the supply chain to recruit and develop the next generation of skilled talent,” he said. “It also encourages businesses to invest in apprentice programmes, not just within our own network, but industry wide.
“We work with many network partners who understand the importance of apprentices and introducing new talent to the industry, and their own business, and we’ve utilised our own apprenticeship levy. These apprentices range from Accident Repair Technician Level 3, Vehicle Damage Assessor and even a Business Administrator Level 3.”
Golding added that LV= wants to support both the larger groups and smaller independent sites to ensure the focus is across the different types of network repairers. The business is also encouraging more women to train in the sector, he said, another area of focus the industry needs to help address.
Implementing such a large-scale talent initiative is not without its challenges, but the incentive behind it is both clear and time sensitive. As vehicles become more advanced, he said, the demand for skilled technicians rises, but the problem remains that there’s a shortage of qualified professionals.
Meanwhile, this is being further exacerbated by the evolving nature of automotive technology, which requires specialised expertise. Insufficient training programs and an aging workforce also contribute to the shortage and current challenge being faced.
“With so many benefits of taking up an apprenticeship, we have a job to do to attract the diverse people we need and spread the word about the vast number of opportunities there are,” he said. “We also need the training programmes available and more colleges across the UK to invest in offering the right qualifications. From a site perspective, smaller garages may not have the HR teams and resources to invest the time in bringing an apprentice onboard, which could potentially be a key barrier.”
Sharing some of the key advice he would offer other businesses looking to establish a successful apprenticeship program, Golding emphasised the incredible friendliness of the sector. He encouraged anybody looking to get started to reach out and talk to other bodyshop businesses or AutoRaise to get insight into how they effectively run an apprenticeship scheme.
“It does require time and resource to invest initially,” he advised, “but the benefits down the line when you’ve got a skilled worker as part of your team is invaluable. It’s also so important to make sure we’re attracting and retaining talent, and offering any tooling or starter kits as part of the process can be great way to help apprentices feel valued and part of the team.
“It’s about passing on valuable skills and expertise, while learning on the job and providing any mentoring as part of that is also incredibly important.”
