Agency targets auto technician skills shortage

AN INTERNATIONAL recruitment agency specialising in motor vehicle technicians has been established in Australia, importing skilled personnel from the UK and Europe to meet demand in the automotive service and repair industry.

As federal and state governments, administrative bodies and industry representatives continue to work on strategies that address the skills shortage in this area, Sydney-based Techs-on-the-Move is capitalising on the immediate needs of dealerships and workshops across Australia.

“Our aim is to reduce the national shortage of skilled automotive technicians,” said Techs-on-the-Move director Gavin Stocks.

“We have very good links to a large pool of technicians in Europe, primarily in the United Kingdom. Our job is to match technicians with job openings in Australia.”

Left: Techs-on-the-Move director Gavin Stocks.

A former area manager with BMW Group Australia, Mr Stocks said overseas professionals could provide an immediate solution for the skills shortage as dealers and workshops worked on longer-term solutions such as training their own technicians through apprenticeship schemes.

“Finding someone with the right training, knowledge and experience can be difficult,” he said.

“Most workshop managers don’t have the time to search overseas for technicians and don’t know how to evaluate them long-distance. It can be a costly mistake to bring someone in who is either not correctly qualified or just a bad fit for the job.”

As well as specialising in the automotive industry, Techs-On-The-Move describes itself as a “one stop shop” that can assist with all relevant sponsorship and visa application requirements.

In its 2008 public policy manual, the Motor Trades Association of Australia (MTAA) included the promotion of the wider use of skilled migrants among the strategies that could be adopted to address the skills shortages in the retail motor trades.

It also recommended better promoting career paths in the wider community and encouraging the shortening of apprenticeships (subject to the attainment of appropriate competencies) and the development of more flexible training options.