Apprenticeship Central used its platform at Automechanika 2025 to challenge the automotive industry to stop talking and start acting on its skills crisis.
Taking to the Body Repair Live stage, Eleanor Baker Barnes delivered a straight-talking presentation titled ‘Unlocking the Potential of Apprentices in the Automotive Industry’. Her message was clear: the time for debate is over, and practical solutions are long overdue.
“Our mission is simple,” she told attendees. “We help businesses find, and importantly keep, amazing apprentice talent and tackle the apprenticeship crisis with a practical, real-world approach.”
Citing hard-hitting statistics, she highlighted the urgency:
- One in three employers report challenges attracting new talent.
- The Institute of the Motor Industry predicts over 20,000 new technicians are needed by 2031.
- Nearly half the workforce is over 45 and nearing retirement.
- Despite this, apprenticeship starts have fallen by 25% in the past decade.
“Talking about the skills gap has lost its impact,” Eleanor said. “It’s not the facts that need to change – it’s how we respond.”
She went on to offer a blueprint for action, including how to: attract the right talent, support apprentices once hired, and retain and develop them into long-term contributors.
She also noted that for businesses who get this right, the return on investment can be as much as £20,000 per apprentice, per year.
Eleanor concluded with a rallying call: “The talent is out there, ready and waiting, if we’re prepared to invest in them…”
