Skills Academy for the motor industry

The government is expected to announce the first four Skills Academies in October and an Automotive Skills Academy could be among the first to be announced. The vision is exciting — a UK-wide centre of excellence and creativity in the co-ordination, development and delivery of education and training for the motor industry which will support increased business performance, productivity and profitability via a skilled and motivated workforce. The academy will become the centre for expertise in curriculum development, e-learning and innovative assessment in support of skills development and progression for young people, new entrants and adults in the workforce. There will also be support for trainer and assessor development and ‘teacher in industry' programmes to develop increased capacity in schools for meeting the needs of the industry. Automotive Skills hosted a series of consultations with employers and training providers to ensure that the approach to the Skills Academy is not only supported across the entire breadth of the industry but is one of cohesion and substance. The clear message from those employers who have been consulted is that the academy must bring a step change in quality to a disparate market where access to appropriate skills training is inconsistent. Automotive Skills is currently consulting the sector on the draft bid, ready for its submission to government on 9 September.