1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164 
CV manufacturers offer great training yet many workshop managers still
Page 40
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
see the brightest youngsters going to college and only the poorest candidates come their way. No wonder the industry is struggling.
OUNTAINS
• Fleet engineers and senior trade technicians are virtually endangered species, and one can only speculate on where the next generations of skilled tradesmen are going to come from.
Yet despite these skills being in short supply, there is good news.
Our survey of nearly 50 different truck repair establishments revealed a great number of young hopefuls are already in the training pipeline.
Many have found placements through the government's modern apprenticeship programme, which is linked with colleges and universities, and those truck and component manufacturers who participate via their own dealerships and through independent franchised garages.
More recently, the Society of Operations Engineers launched its own licensed technician programme and RAC group member Lex Transfleet (which operates a large chain of truck dealerships) is presently trialling the scheme to assess the benefits.
Most workshop managers regard technicians as the foundation of their business, and try to maintain competitive pay and benefits packages, Those who have found good apprentices tend to encourage them by guiding them towards more complex training courses—such as electronic engine management, EBS and fault diagnostics—to perk up their interest.
For example, Lex Transfleet sets aside a hefty budget to support on-going skills training through its trading partners at Dat Foden, MAN-ERE and LDV.
As well as "locally competitive" salaries, it also offers a contributory final-salary pension plan, generous annual leave, free personal protective equipment and a private car leasing scheme. Its workforce includes 39 group apprentices, and the graduates have all been offered permanent posts.
Marketing manager Paul Webster says Lex's trainee numbers will rise to 50, partly because of business opportunity forecasts but mainly because the age profile in today's workforce will mean significant numbers of retirees over the next decade.
A dirty business
But most of the workshop managers surveyed expressed worries about finding suitable apprentices.
Young people today want the clean working environments and high rewards associated with the IT and electronics industries.
Typically, a Norfolk garage owner says it's nearly impossible to find keen young men wanting to train, or good technicians looking for work. He believes they're all but non-existent.
But the consensus on the general calibre of school-leavers is worrying.
Few youths want to join the industry. According to one Kent manager: "Most regard a workshop as a dirty, smelly place and are only interested in computer or desk work," he says. "Heaven help them."
Another garage owner recently invited three lads to his depot open day, fed and entertained them and finally offered them all a job. They never even bothered to reply.