The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) has released a warning about the United Kingdom‘s electric vehicle industry, particularly the imminent shortage of specialized technicians for the technology.
IMI’s data revealed that only 18% or approximately 42,000 individuals of the country’s technicians had electric vehicle training in Q1 2023.
However, the number of newly qualified EV technicians during that period dropped by 10% from 2022’s records.
Even more, the IMI also forecasts a whopping year-on-year drop of 31% in obtaining an EV qualification in Q2 2023.
Affecting factors
The IMI cited various factors that may contribute to the expected shortage of qualified EV technicians in the UK industry. These factors include the following, as per the organization:
- “As the average age of the vehicle parc increases, the time needed by technicians working on ICE vehicles also rises, reducing available retraining time for EVs
- The significant skills gap across the sector is forcing employers to ‘park’ new skills training to meet customer demand
- Training budgets are being refunnelled into ‘business-as-usual’ operations as employers manage current economic pressures”
The IMI warns the EV industry that the imminent shortage of EV-qualified technicians could significantly hurt the government’s decarbonization targets.
It is undoubtedly alarming as the organization forecasts the industry to need 107,000 IMI TechSafe-qualified technicians by 2030 to cater to the growing number of EVs on the road. Even more, it will increase to 139,000 technicians by 2032.
Alarmingly, the IMI expects a shortage of 25,000 EV-qualified technicians if the current downward trends prevail.
Moreover, the report noted that employers are prompted to delay new skills training to meet client demand due to the growing skills gap in the industry. In effect, training expenditures are often shifted towards maintaining normal operations.
“The high level of job vacancies across the automotive sector as well as the economic pressures that mean budgets are being funnelled away from training are a serious cause for concern if the government’s decarbonisation targets are to be met. More electric and hybrid vehicles are joining the UK car parc every day, but the number of technicians trained to safely maintain, service and repair them is simply not keeping pace, creating a real postcode lottery. Urgent attention is required to address the skills gap, enhance training initiatives and ensure an adequate supply of qualified technicians to meet the evolving demands of the rapidly growing EV sector.”
IMI CEO Steve Nash
See Also:
- Tesla Semi: To launch ‘Semi Service Program’ as it ramps up hiring for technicians
- Do EVs need to be serviced?
- Australia needs to train 100,000 mechanics in EV repairs and maintenance
- Britain is projected to face a critical shortage of EV mechanics by 2030
- Volkswagen prepares employees for an electric future through escape rooms
The UK’s electric vehicle industry must be prepared to cater to the growing number of EVs in the country. Therefore, the government must act to offer more programs that would encourage more technicians to get proper training for EV maintenance and repair.
