New car registrations grew by 5.3% in March. Making it the biggest ever month since the two new plates per year change began in 1999, according to figures published this week by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

A total of 518,707 new cars were registered in March, only the third time the market has exceeded half a million units in a single month.

2009-2013 were lean times, no doubt in years to come to be given a collective name, like ‘Apocalyptic Quadrennium’ the ‘Misery Quartet’ or the ‘Fearful Foursome’ but as growth sprouts turn to accelerated progression, are these gloom years behind us?

While consumer trust and more importantly spend may have returned to the market, 2016 to 2020 could be another ‘Lethargic Leap Period’ as a new problem takes hold of the market.

It’s all very well customers returning in droves and more cars rolling off the forecourt, but who is going to be the next generation of Automotive Staff?

Throughout 2014-2016 so far, we have been speaking to dealers, garages and manufactures about the general shortage of highly skilled, experienced and available staff. It’s obvious really if the hatches were well and truly battened down for four years then we are four years behind the curve on staff development, and this IS NOT just technicians. This is all positions, from Admin, through sales and service departments. The usual route to market was closed or covered in a semi-permeable membrane where only a few got through.

 While technicians, are the main problem and will remain so for some time yet; we have noticed a considerable issue with diminishing volumes of sales executives and service advisors. Who, between 2016 to 2020, is going to sell the cars or book them in?

We all begun in the trade somewhere, somehow; someone gave us our first shot. Yes, I concede the point, that perhaps 20 years ago, we did more to get that shot. You know working Saturday for free to learn and prove our worth, we took junior roles, which even then, were, perhaps in our minds, beneath us. However, 2016 is different. Higher Education participation is on the increase, and today’s first-time job seeker is either more educated or more demanding as to what their first job will look like. Still, the fact remains that in a staff market where naturally people leave a certain level of backfill is needed.

So this message is about growing your own Oak Trees. Look at candidates from outside the trade. Those with the personality traits, the work ethic and drive to succeed. Every week Perfect Placement receives numerous CVs which on face value and with client criteria in mind would be discounted immediately. However we do talk to these applicants; after all, we are the UK's leading Automotive Recruitment Agency. Applying for one of our vacancies must mean that there is even a slim chance the candidate has considered the Motor Trade! You would be surprised how many great, driven, enthusiastic and motivated job seekers there are out there with transferable skills.

In a market demanding plug and play replacements, you may need to use an adaptor to make it work. However, when it does, it could be better than a genuine part!

Talk to us today about the role you need filling in your business, but talk to us about your business, the people the ethics that drive it and the shared goals. While we remain the leading supplier of Experienced Automotive candidates, we could quite easily be your academy supplier too.

After all, we all started somewhere, and even the most massive Oak trees started as small acorns.