This week’s key takeaway: How research will help reduce the skills shortage, with Dean Lander

 

Episode intro:   There has been a skills shortage in collision repair for as long as any of us care to remember… and now Covid has made things even worse. Luckily there are still ways to attract the best talent, but you have to be smart.

 

Our guest this week is Dean Lander: Head of Repair Sector Services at Thatcham Research over in the UK. His company gathers vital data and supports the automative industry in their recruitment and training. He’s ideally placed to comment on the current state of play and what collision repairers can do to make sure they attract and retain the best talent. If you want to future-proof your business you should listen to this guy!

 

In this week’s episode you will learn: -How Covid affected the industry in the UK -How operating models for body shops have been forced to change -The scale of the skill shortage in the industry -How changes in work/life balance are posing a challenge for body shops -What the UK is doing to encourage new talent -How Covid has made the industry admit it has a skills crisis -How Australia can take the lead from the UK in certain aspects of the recruitment process -How the industry needs to improve its image -Training schemes for older workers -How e-learning and virtual classrooms can enhance the training process

 

Show links: ** Do you have something unique you want to share with us? Contact Paint & Panel editor Sam Street at: [email protected] ** Go to www.paintandpanel.com.au to sign up for our weekly E-newsletter ** Go to www.paintandpanel.com.au/podcast to catch up on past shows and access show notes from every episode.