Work Experience
One of the contributory factors is lack of opportunities for young people to get a taste of a real-life working environment in automotive. Many businesses have shied away from work experience stating it is too difficult to get insurance, there is too much red tape regarding health and safety and it’s not easy to find people to do it. The modern-day working environment is ‘generally’ a safer place to work with improved processes and operating standards in place. Apprenticeships have gained momentum and businesses are used to working with young people, including safeguarding, providing adequate supervision and mentors and understanding what young people are able to do without causing harm.
School of Thought Automotive recognised many years ago that there was a need to bring work experience back into existence, and although it was named Stepping Stones originally, it has been rebranded as AWE 25.
Within work experience and training programmes, young people need support with employability skills which will help them grow as a future employees. Here are just some of the skills young people can develop during their time with you.
- Being punctual – Turning up 10 minutes before start time
- Communicate clearly – Asking questions and listening effectively
- Customer Focus – Being polite and helpful
- Positive attitude – Always talking about what can be done rather than what can’t
- Problem-solving – Looking at solutions rather than problems
- Respect each other – Listening to other people’s views even if you don’t agree
- Self-belief – Knowing you can do this
- Self-management – I can look after myself
- Staying safe – Knowing how to prevent accidents
- Taking responsibility – Asking to do other tasks outside your role and pushing yourself
- Using initiative – Doing something without being asked (within your ability/role)
- Working in a team – Helping each other with tasks and sharing ideas
What benefits will it bring?
For young people, it will give them hope. Since the pandemic young people’s mental health has declined, many young people are anxious about their future and feel that career paths are not always available. Choosing subjects to study and then deciding on whether you want to do an apprenticeship, an internship, a college or university course is hard enough, so we wanted to give them a step up and a step into automotive.
Even just one week of work experience will give them an insight into how diverse automotive really is, how technologically progressive we are and will help continue to bust myths and perceptions we continue to have. It will truly showcase all that we have to offer, the hundreds of opportunities and roles available and the different entry routes.
They will learn practical skills, so doing tasks within their chosen business and role. This could include communicating with customers, taking images of damaged vehicles, ordering parts and consumables, inputting information onto a computer, attending meetings and helping service and repair vehicles under supervision. Of course, due to their age, there are certain things that they are unable to do, but there are many other things they can do.
So, what is AWE25?
It is one week every year of promoting work experience specifically for the automotive industry. In 2025 it runs from 7th - 11th April.
We are asking every employer in the automotive sector to offer one week's placement for at least one young person. This work experience week can be at any time during the year. It's important that we keep work experience visible throughout the year.
What is stopping you?
We have developed work experience packs which include information about how to put a programme together, how to do it safely and some great tools to record inductions, learning and achievements. Something for a young person to take away with them and put a smile on their face with a sense of achievement. If you want to register a placement then please complete the form below.
Working in partnership
The automotive sector must attract a new generation of talent to remain in-step with technological innovation; and collaboration across the industry is vital to achieve this. The IMI works with educators, adult guardians, schools, and students to identify the immense career opportunities available in automotive. The Autotech Group provides a valuable pathway for newly qualified college leavers to secure their first automotive job. Now both organisations are uniting with The Automotive School of Thought to directly connect school-age children, schools, and guardians with employers with vacancies.
At the heart of the initiative is the mission to give young people meaningful, hands-on workplace experience, at the same time creating a talent pipeline for employers to plug the skills gap.
The new partnership will facilitate the initial introduction between an automotive employer offering a work placement opportunity and pupils, schools, and guardians, capitalising on the resources of the IMI, including its Jobs website, and the industry connections of the Autotech Group. It will also showcase the automotive sector as an exciting career route, to change perceptions amongst young people before they enter further education.
