Motor Industry Recruitment

Getting a Foothold:

The article below refers to entry levels into the motor trade, but mainly through the Manufacturer and Importers, however the volume of the industry is covered by the Dealer network. (The franchise dealer in your High Street). Here is the simplest and most convenient way to gain entry to the industry. Even thought getting a foot hold is becoming harder, thankfully many dealers still know a bright young contender or can recognise skills held with older contenders when they meet them and are willing to offer positions to people who have a genuine interest. Walking into dealerships is effectively “forcing” a first stage interview and as such, for the brave, a good way of marketing yourself. Starting off normally means a low salary or basic pay but with the opportunity to grow quickly if you are enthusiastic and willing to learn.

During my 20 years within the franchise network I am pleased to be able to say that I have been responsible for taking on staff at all levels. In doing so, not always opting for the most obvious contender but relying on taking on a leaner and crossing my fingers that their enthusiasm will carry them through the first few months until they establish themselves. After that, it is your job as a manager to ensure that their antiserum is not allowed to laps into the drudgery of the probable lower ranking position they took by ensuring that they have been offered a real pathway to move upwards. Pleasingly, several employees I employed, who were initially recruited at lower levels, soon managed to grow within their chosen field to gain Managerial or Supervisory positions. Of course, in my current position as a Recruitment Consultant I have managed to find positions for candidates who have grown in their own right, once placed within an organisation with the space and facilities for them to do so.

Finding a job as a Warehouse Man within a Parts Department is one way of getting in the door. Expect a tedious job, constantly opening box after box of Parts, ensuring quantities to paperwork are correct and then locating the parts in the exact location within the department as dictated by the Dealerships stock management system. However if you take on this type of position and show some ability you will soon find that you will be offered a position as a Partsman or Parts Advisor. (Both titles are the same thing) In this position, you will be offered an amount of specific franchise training. This will allow you to better understand how the part numbers are structured and where and how you find out the part number of any part and the manufacturers vehicle range (really, you should have taken the time to find most of this out yourself when you were not a Parts Advisor). Theses skills are transferable across manufacturers although there will be franchise differences.

Most, if not all franchises will have a PC based parts identification system to assist you to find the correct part numbers so that you can either locate them within our operation or place an order for them from the manufactures central warehouse. From this type of position you can work you way up through to Parts Supervisor or in bigger departments. You could find your route takes you into the Trade Sales side where you may find the department has positions such as Parts Sales Trade Representative or Trade Sales Supervisor where you would oversee a team of Parts Advisors who’s responsibility lies purely with the supply of Parts to Trade customers via a van Delivery Service. From here, you can move on to Parts Manager. Once established you may choose to sit tight, many Parts Managers have a very (sometimes too) stable careers but others want to go further and go “over the fence” to the Service Department and head for Service Manager or Aftersales Manager. An Aftersales Manager tends to look after both the Service department and the Parts department with some also looking after the Bodyshop and sometimes even a Car Rental department.

The article below was taken from The Independent Web site.

Motor Industry

Could a career in the motor industry be the vehicle for your personal development?

Dr Cedric Ashley, Director of the Euromotor Project at the University of Birmingham, explores the options.

From Which Course? magazine.

Published on the 31st January 2002


The motor industry is one of the largest sectors of employment in the United Kingdom. It is thought that there are around 900,000 people employed in the industry, of whom 330,000 are in vehicle design and manufacture, 525,000 in the retail motor industry engaged in buying and selling of vehicles and over 50,000 in motor sport activity.

Each of these sectors has its own particular requirements but in general there are three levels of entry into the industry:
Graduate level. A degree is a necessary requirement if you are to reach the top in the design, development and manufacture of vehicles.
Technician level or equivalent, corresponding to direct entry at the age of around 18. This is a common point of entry for people wanting a commercial, sales or marketing career, as well as those interested in a technician career concerned with vehicle design, development and the proving of the car

Craft level at the age of 16. This is the usual point of entry for those wishing to become mechanics, turners, fitters or specialists in any of the many other craft-based skills

Manufacturing and supply
The manufacturing side of the motor industry is divided between the vehicle manufacturers or assemblers and the various supply companies. Typical companies based in the UK are Ford, Rover, Vauxhall, Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Isuzu, Peugeot, Rolls-Royce, Lotus, TVR, Morgan and others. Together, they now manufacture nearly two million cars a year, a total which is gradually increasing. Most of these companies are supported by large engineering departments, which have a tremendous demand for graduates. It is thought that there are around 20,000 graduate engineers employed in the industry.
The supply companies are in a number of tiers, starting with those who supply the major components for the vehicle, such as tyres, electrical systems, seats, suspension components and so on. They are supported in turn by a wider range of suppliers. Increasingly, the "tier one" suppliers are being asked to participate in the design and development of the vehicle and their demand for graduate engineers and technicians is also growing rapidly.
Both the manufacturing and supply side of the industry are becoming global, with the majority of the companies having plants worldwide. This means that employment in the motor industry at graduate level gives tremendous opportunities for travel and working overseas.

Graduate entry
The work done by graduate engineers involves taking responsibility for design, development and the methods of production. A graduate development engineer may very well have to conduct tests on a prototype vehicle in conditions ranging from the Arizona desert to the Arctic Circle.
In order to become a graduate engineer, it is necessary to complete a degree course at a university. The most common degree is in mechanical engineering and the normal entry level is three A-levels (or equivalent), of which at least one must be mathematics and the other two science based. Some universities have an entrance standard as high as BBB at A level, though there are opportunities to be accepted with lower qualifications. However, a mechanical engineering degree is demanding and it is suggested that, unless the student achieves DDD or better, they will find the course very difficult and should consider an alternative.

There are two levels of graduation in a mechanical engineering degree: - A BSc after three years of study
- An MEng after four years The MEng is becoming a positive requirement for recognition of educational attainment by the professional associations associated with the industry, such as the Engineering Council and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
Post-university, it is normal to have a training period of up to two years with the industry when you are familiarised with the different areas and given the opportunity to decide on your specialism, whether design, manufacture or development.

Technician entry
Whether into manufacture, retail or motorsport, technician entry is generally at the age of 18, though it can be a little bit earlier if a modern apprenticeship is adopted. Modern apprenticeships can lead to a BTEC Higher National Certificate or Diploma, normally taken at a College of Further Education. Some companies sponsor students starting at technician level to go on to university.

Craft level
Craftsmen and women are as important to the industry's success as professional engineers and technicians. They carry out detailed work and are trained to turn engineering drawings and instructions into finished products. Craftspeople use a wide variety of skills to make the most of the technology equipment used in motor manufacture and maintenance. Increasingly, they need more than one skill and take appropriate NVQ2 or SVQ qualifications. Specialist craftspeople, including electricians, tool setters, fitters/mechanics, pattern makers and body makers, usually start their training at 16 or 17.

The above article was taken from The Independent Web site.