The UK could face a shortfall of some 3000 electric vehicle technicians by 2031, the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) has warned.
Its latest EV TechSafe certification data shows just 24% of the UK’s automotive workforce – 58,800 technicians – is qualified to work on electric vehicles.
It added that there is regional disparity in EV skills: although London and the South East have the largest proportion of electric cars, the region does not have the greatest proportion of EV-trained technicians. That would be the East of England, where 9.5% are EV trained.
In Northern Ireland, just 3.7% of technicians are qualified to work on EVs.
The IMI also forecasted that the national EV skills gap will widen to 16,000 technicians by 2035.
“Automotive businesses urgently need to prioritise training more technicians so that the expected rising number of EV owners can find a local technician qualified to work safely on their vehicle,” said IMI executive chair Kevin Finn.
Go to comments