The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) is warning that the UK faces a shortfall of 3,000 technicians by 2031, based on the forecast increase in EVs on UK roads, with the gap expected to reach 16,000 by 2035.
The IMI’s latest EV TechSafe certification data shows that 58,800 technicians are now qualified to work on electric vehicles, representing 24% of the UK automotive workforce.
The new IMI data also exposes a postcode lottery for EV skills. While London and the South East have the higher proportion of EVs, just 6.1% and 6.4% of technicians in London and the South East respectively are EV trained.
In comparison, the East of England has the highest rate of EV qualifications at 9.5%, followed by the West Midlands, at 8.2% and Scotland at 7.9%.
The IMI data shows that Northern Ireland has the lowest number of certified EV technicians, standing at 3.7%, followed by the North East at 4.4% and Yorkshire and Humber at 5%.
Kevin Finn, IMI executive chair, said: “There has been encouraging growth in the number of technicians gaining EV certification so far in 2024.
“However, with the expected reinstatement of the 2030 ICE ban deadline by the new government, the skills gap remains.
“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.”
