Surrey and West Sussex-based independent garage group, CCM, has successfully recruited a technician from Bangladesh to address the ongoing skills shortage in the UK automotive industry.
Mohammed Yonus, a qualified technician with 15 years of experience at a BMW dealership in the UAE, joined CCM in August. The company partnered with Easy2Recruit, a specialist agency that helps garages find and hire overseas talent.
“Like a lot of garages, said CCM Operations Director Tina Drayson, “we’re struggling to recruit technicians. We spoke to Easy2Recruit founder Ambi Singh at length after meeting them at Mechanex Sandown last November, did our research, and we decided that we had nothing to lose by trying this route.”
The agency assisted CCM with obtaining a sponsorship license, sourcing candidates, and facilitating Mohammed’s relocation to the UK.
Drayson highlights the significant skills gap in the industry: . “We know that there’s a generation gap, where people did not come into the trade. As an industry we find ourselves in a situation where we’ve got older technicians looking to retire, and very young apprentices that we’re now managing to get into the system, but not much in-between.”
CCM’s success story demonstrates the potential of recruiting skilled technicians from overseas to overcome the skills shortage.
With Mohammed settling into his role, CCM is already considering expanding its overseas recruitment efforts.
Easy2Recruit is a valuable resource for garages facing staffing challenges. Garages seeking similar solutions can visit their website for more information please click here.
