The search for the UK’s best young automotive talent is underway, with the opening of the Institute of the Motor Industry’s (IMI) SkillAuto competition.
Young people will compete in the fields of automotive body repair, automotive paint and automotive technology for a place at the final, which takes place at the Skills Show in November.
The launch of SkillAuto is accompanied by the announcement that Jaguar Land Rover will be hosting the automotive technology heats at its state-of-the-art training centre in Warwick, and that 3M will be hosting the automotive paint heats at their new facility in Atherstone. Automotive apprentices will first compete in online tests to determine who will go forward to the live heats, which take place between April and June.
Eighteen competitors took part in last year’s SkillAuto final, with the three gold medal winners being invited by the McLaren Group to visit its Technology Centre in Surrey.
Steve Nash, IMI Chief Executive said, “SkillAuto is a vital tool for placing the spotlight on the importance of skills in the motor industry. The young people that reach the final will represent exactly the high calibre of apprentices the automotive sector is crying out for, as we face the challenges of advancing technology and increasing demands of customers. As such, the winners of SkillAuto will be important role models for future generations of automotive professionals.”
In 2012 over 100,000 young people visited the Skills Show at the NEC, which provides a platform for the best of the nation’s young talent to compete in their chosen fields, as well as giving visitors the chance to have a go at new skills and gain careers information and advice.
To find out more about SkillAuto and how to get involved as well as information about career opportunities in the retail motor industry, visit: www.autocity.org.uk.
