The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ (SMMT) latest automotive industry survey suggests that the UK government and industry funded skills body Automotive Academy is gaining increased recognition in the UK industry.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
In the survey – ‘Automotive manufacturing – the industry perspective’ – 66% of companies knew about the Academy, an increase of 34% in the last 12 months.
The Academy was identified as being key to addressing the UK’s skills gaps in automotive manufacturing by 89% of respondents.
Looking to the future, 56% of respondents said that the Academy would have a direct influence on their business in the coming years.
Welcoming the survey, Academy chief executive Dr Alan Begg said: “This is great recognition for the Academy. We are driven for our industry, by our industry, so will continue to deliver what motor manufacturers and suppliers need – globally competitive automotive training to help increase our competitiveness and productivity.
“With 2006 fast approaching, we need automotive companies to make a New Year resolution to get the very best training available – Academy training.”
The Automotive Academy was created following recommendations from the UK government Department of Trade and Industry’s Automotive Innovation and Growth Team.
The Academy structure is based on a hub and spoke system where each spoke promotes ‘Academy Validated’ or ‘Industry Recommended’ training providers, courses and materials, targeted at their specific local manufacturing skills needs.
The spokes support local companies to help identify training needs, recommend appropriate action and highlight opportunities for assistance with funding.
