Other Skills Issues
The automotive industry offers a vast range of highly-skilled careers in a modern, advanced manufacturing environment. In order to address predicted skills shortages, SMMT works with government and key stakeholders to change outdated perceptions of the sector and encourage more people to choose a career in the automotive industry.
Foyer Federation project
Since 2012, SMMT’s Charitable Trust has supported the Foyer Federation in delivering a Working Assets project for the automotive sector. The project builds and supports partnerships between UK automotive businesses and local ‘Foyers’.
The scheme provides less advantaged young people with an opportunity to learn about the career opportunities in the sector, while developing new skills that will help them become more employable, and ultimately independent, adults. Since the project began, SMMT and the Foyer Federation have helped more than 200 young people across the UK.
Women In Automotive
Encouraging more female employees is a priority for the sector, with research by the Automotive Council finding that women working in automotive manufacturing are outnumbered by men three to one. In addition in the UK as a whole, just 9% of UK engineering employees are female – the lowest proportion in Europe. Fewer than 16% of British engineering and technology undergraduates are currently women.
It is essential for the UK automotive industry to utilise this untapped skills potential, ensuring the automotive workforce is a diverse one and to continue the sector’s record growth. To help raise awareness of successful women in the industry and to encourage more to join it, SMMT has partnered with motoring publication Autocar in an initiative to identify the 100 most influential British women working in the car industry.
Developing The Skills Needs Of Tomorrow
Developments in low carbon and connected and autonomous technologies offer significant environmental, social, industrial and economic opportunities to UK automotive. In order to take full advantage of these opportunities, SMMT is focused on ensuring that future technologies are intrinsically linked to the skills agenda, cementing the UK’s position at the forefront of these innovative sectors.
