CEO of the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) Steve Nash has urged the automotive sector to keep its eye on the ball for EV training, regardless of the 2030 ban on the sale of new ICE vehicles.
The news follows concern about the 2030 target for banning ICE vehicles, after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appeared to not confirm the government’s commitment to the policy – although a later comment from Number 10 stated it remained in place.
In addition, the EV arm of the REA, RECHARGE UK, believes a key issue across the EV industry going forward will be a lack of skilled professionals, who are able to install and maintain charging infrastructure or maintain and repair electric vehicles, especially with the news that Tata has confirmed plans to build a new Gigafactory in the UK and providing up to 4,000 direct jobs.
Speaking about the recent news, Nash said that the government had a “difficult job to do” but if it did delay the 2030 target, it should not be a ‘free pass’ to delay training investment.
He said: “Our latest data already shows that we are already behind the trajectory needed to have an automotive aftermarket workforce EV-ready. The number of newly qualified EV technicians in the first three months of this year is actually 10% lower than the same period in 2022. Even more concerning is our projection that for the second quarter there will be a decline of 31% in technicians obtaining EV qualifications compared to Quarter 2 2022.
“The IMI predicts that by 2030 the UK will require 107,000 IMI TechSafe qualified technicians to meet the evolving demands of the growing parc of electric vehicles. This figure rises to 139,000 by 2032, with our projections indicating a potential shortfall of 25,000 technicians if the current trends persist.
“Any change in government strategy over the 2030 deadline must not mean investment in training can be paused.”
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