The motor trade needs experienced people. The problem is that every employer looking for experience is often competing for people who already have it.

According to the Institute of the Motor Industry's March 2026 Labour Market Briefing, there were around 16,000 vacancies across the automotive sector, with a vacancy rate of 2.7% compared with 2.3% across the UK. The IMI described the industry as continuing to face a structural skills shortage, with demand for experienced Technicians exceeding supply.

Recruiting an experienced Technician, Service Manager, Workshop Controller or Bodyshop professional can solve an immediate vacancy. What it does not necessarily do is increase the number of experienced people available to the industry.

That is why recruitment cannot be the only answer to automotive skills shortages. Employers also need to think about where the next generation of experienced people is going to come from.

Key Takeaways

• The IMI reported around 16,000 automotive vacancies in March 2026, with the sector's vacancy rate remaining above the UK average.
• Recruiting an experienced employee can fill a vacancy, but it does not necessarily add another experienced person to the motor trade.
• Potential should be based on evidence that somebody can develop, not simply enthusiasm or willingness to learn.
• The latest IMI data recorded 7,424 automotive apprenticeship starts across the first three quarters of 2025/26, down 1% year-on-year, reinforcing the need to develop skills throughout people's careers as well as bringing new people into the industry.
• EV skills show the scale of the challenge: only around 35% of UK Technicians are currently EV-qualified, according to the latest IMI TechSafe data.

Why Can't the Motor Trade Recruit Its Way Out of Every Skills Shortage?

The motor trade cannot recruit its way out of every skills shortage because there is a limit to how many experienced people are already available. Recruitment can move those people between employers, but training and development are what increase the number of people with the skills businesses need.

What Happens When Every Employer Wants Experience?

When several businesses need the same skills, they inevitably end up competing for many of the same people.

The latest evidence shows how concentrated that demand has become. In its June 2026 Vacancy Tracker, the IMI reported that 72% of advertised automotive vacancies were for Vehicle Technicians, Mechanics and Electricians. Demand for those roles had increased by 19% compared with the previous year.

A dealership recruits an experienced Technician from another dealership. An Aftersales Manager moves to a competitor. A Bodyshop Manager is approached by another repairer. One employer has filled a vacancy, but another may now be recruiting for the person who has just left.

There is nothing wrong with recruiting experienced people. Plenty of vacancies genuinely need somebody who can come in and do the job immediately.

But moving experience around the industry cannot be the whole answer when the underlying problem is that there are not enough people with that experience in the first place.

Where Do the Next Experienced People Come From?

Every experienced person in the motor trade was once given an opportunity to do something they had not done before.

The first-time Workshop Controller had to be trusted with a workshop. The first-time Service Manager had to be given responsibility for a department. The experienced Technician somebody wants to recruit today once needed training, supervision and time to build that experience.

The industry's pipeline makes that development particularly important. The latest IMI Automotive Education Report, published in August 2026, recorded 7,424 automotive apprenticeship starts across the first three quarters of the 2025/26 academic year. That was 1% lower than the same period a year earlier, showing that apprenticeship recruitment remains broadly stable rather than expanding significantly.

Apprenticeships remain hugely important, but employers cannot rely on the entry-level pipeline alone. Development also has to continue throughout people's careers as they gain qualifications, take on more difficult work, supervise colleagues and move into positions with greater responsibility.

Employers therefore have another question to ask alongside, "Where can we find somebody experienced?"

Who could we develop into the person we need?

Does Every Vacancy Suit Hiring for Potential?

No. Some vacancies need somebody with proven experience from the moment they start.

A business under immediate pressure may not have time for a lengthy development period. Safety-critical work requires the appropriate competence and training. A senior manager taking responsibility for a large operation may need experience that cannot realistically be learned during the first few months.

Hiring for potential is another option, not a replacement for experienced recruitment.

The opportunity is to recognise when a vacancy genuinely requires somebody who has already done the job and when there is enough room to develop somebody into it.

We looked at that distinction from a vacancy requirements perspective in our guide to whether your job requirements are putting good motor trade candidates off applying. Once an employer has decided there is room for development, the next challenge is identifying who is genuinely capable of making that step.

What Should Employers Look for When Hiring for Potential?

Employers should look for evidence that somebody has already learned, progressed or taken on greater responsibility. Potential is much easier to judge when there is something in the person's career that shows how they have responded to development before.

Potential Is More Than Being Keen to Learn

Most candidates will tell an interviewer they are willing to learn. On its own, that does not tell you very much.

Look instead at what they have already done.

Have they completed additional training without being pushed into it? Taken on more complex work? Become the person colleagues ask for help? Covered responsibilities above their job title? Progressed within a previous employer?

Those examples give you something more useful than a promise. They show that the person has already been trusted to do more and has done something with the opportunity.

Look at the Direction of Somebody's Career, Not Just Their Current Job

A CV tells you what somebody is doing now. When hiring for potential, it is just as important to look at how they got there.

Somebody whose responsibilities have steadily increased may already be moving towards the position you are recruiting for, even if they have not yet held the title.

A Senior Technician who regularly supports less experienced colleagues and helps organise work may be showing some of the qualities needed for a Workshop Controller position. An experienced Service Advisor who already handles escalations, supports the team and takes responsibility when management is unavailable may be demonstrating the beginnings of leadership.

Technical careers provide another good example. Progression towards senior and Master Technician level happens over years of training, experience and increasingly complex work. We explore that journey in more detail in our guide to how long it takes to become a Master Technician.

The question is not simply whether somebody has done the next job before. It is whether their career so far gives you good reason to believe they are ready to start doing more.

Find Out What They Have Done When Given More Responsibility

Interview questions about potential should focus on evidence.

Ask about a time they were given responsibility they had not had before. What changed? What did they find difficult? What support did they need? How quickly did they become comfortable doing it independently?

You can also ask what they have deliberately learned during the last few years and why. Someone who has actively developed their own skills may approach another development opportunity very differently from somebody who has only completed training when required.

You are not trying to prove that the candidate already knows everything.

You are trying to understand what happens when they don't.

How Do You Turn Potential Into Experience?

Potential only becomes useful to an employer when there is a realistic way for the person to develop. Hiring somebody because they could eventually become excellent at the job is not enough if nobody has decided how they are going to get there.

Agree What the Person Needs to Learn

Development becomes much easier when both the employer and candidate know what the gap actually is.

Rather than saying somebody "needs a bit more experience", be specific.

Do they need a particular qualification? More exposure to diagnostics? Experience managing people? Manufacturer training? Greater commercial responsibility? Confidence dealing with difficult customers?

A clear gap gives you something that can be trained, supported and reviewed.

A vague belief that somebody will "grow into the role" does not.

Decide Who Is Going to Develop Them

This is where a good idea can fall apart very quickly.

If somebody is joining with a known development need, there should be somebody in the business responsible for helping them address it.

That person also needs the time to do it.

A Workshop Controller cannot properly develop a Technician while simultaneously being expected to cover three vacant bays. A Service Manager cannot coach somebody into greater responsibility if they are already permanently firefighting.

"We'll train them when they get here" is not much of a plan if everybody is too busy once they arrive.

Give Development a Timescale

Not every skill takes the same amount of time to develop, so employers should agree what reasonable progress looks like.

Some gaps may take weeks. Others may require formal training and several months of supervised experience.

Setting milestones gives both sides a clearer idea of whether the development is working. It also makes it easier to identify when somebody needs additional support rather than waiting until the end of probation to discover that expectations were different.

Don't Turn a Development Hire Into a Cheap Experienced Hire

If somebody is recruited because they need development, the business needs to allow for that development after they start.

Problems arise when an employer knowingly hires somebody who is stepping up and then immediately judges them as though they had already spent five years doing the job.

There should still be clear expectations and accountability. Hiring for potential is not an excuse for poor performance.

But if you recruit somebody on the basis that they will need time and support to develop, that time and support have to exist once they walk through the door.

Could the Next Person You Need Already Work for You?

Hiring for potential does not always mean recruiting externally. Existing employees can be one of the best places to look for future skills because the business already knows how they work, where they are strong and how they respond when given responsibility.

Spot People Before the Vacancy Exists

Succession works much better when it starts before somebody hands in their notice.

If a Service Team Leader has the potential to become a Service Manager, development can begin while the current management structure is still in place. A Senior Technician interested in workshop management can gradually take on additional responsibility before the business urgently needs another Workshop Controller.

That gives the employee time to learn without every mistake happening in the middle of a recruitment crisis.

It also gives the employer time to decide whether progression genuinely suits them.

Give People Opportunities to Prove They Are Ready

Potential is easier to assess when somebody has opportunities to demonstrate it.

That might mean allowing an employee to lead a morning meeting, support a new starter, take responsibility for a small project, cover part of their manager's role during annual leave or complete training connected to the next step they want to take.

None of those things guarantee promotion.

They give both the employer and employee evidence about whether the next step is realistic before a permanent move is made.

Progression Can Help You Keep the People You Already Have

Development is not only about filling future vacancies. It also gives good employees a reason to see a future with the business.

If somebody wants greater responsibility but can only see that opportunity by leaving, another employer may eventually provide it.

Not everybody wants management and progression should never be forced on somebody simply because they are good at their current job. But where ambition exists, showing somebody a realistic route forward can be valuable for both sides.

Why Are EV Skills a Good Example of Hiring for Potential?

EV skills show particularly clearly why the industry needs development as well as recruitment. The latest IMI TechSafe forecast puts the number of EV-qualified Technicians at 74,734, around 35% of the UK Technician workforce. The IMI projects that demand could exceed supply by more than 43,000 EV-qualified Technicians by 2035 if training does not keep pace.

Recruiting EV Skills and Developing EV Skills Are Different Things

Demand is already moving. The IMI's June 2026 Vacancy Tracker recorded a 59% year-on-year increase in recruitment for EV Technicians.

If an employer recruits an experienced EV Technician from another business, they have filled their vacancy with somebody who can already do the work.

That may be exactly what they need.

But the total number of EV-trained Technicians in the industry has not drastically increased.

Taking an already capable Vehicle Technician with strong mechanical, electrical and diagnostic foundations and putting them through the appropriate EV training is different. Once properly trained and competent, another Technician has gained a skill the industry needs.

Safety Standards Still Come First

Hiring for potential does not mean allowing somebody to carry out work they are not trained or competent to perform.

High-voltage work is a particularly obvious example. The appropriate training, competence, supervision and safety procedures remain essential.

The potential sits in identifying an experienced Technician who has the foundations to undertake that development successfully, not in lowering the standard required once they begin carrying out the work.

The Skills Challenge Goes Beyond EV

EV is not the only technology changing the skills employers need. The latest IMI Automotive Education Report records 10,695 ADAS-qualified Technicians, representing around 3% of the automotive workforce. The IMI warns that both EV and ADAS training are continuing to grow more slowly than projected future demand.

That is another reminder that automotive technology will not wait for the workforce to catch up. Employers will need experienced recruits, but the industry also needs existing people to continue learning as the vehicles entering workshops become more complex.

The same principle applies beyond technical roles. Businesses need future managers, supervisors and experienced aftersales people as well as current ones.

Not every one of those people can be recruited ready-made.

Some of them will need to become experienced while working for you.

How Can Recruitment and Development Work Together?

Recruitment and development work best together when employers are clear about which vacancies need proven experience now and where there is enough time and support to invest in somebody who could grow into what the business needs.

Tell Your Recruiter Where You Have Flexibility

If you would consider somebody stepping up, say so at the beginning of the search.

A recruiter looking exclusively for people already doing the job will search a very different group of candidates from one who knows the employer is open to somebody ready for their next move.

That does not mean every candidate with ambition should be shortlisted.

It means the recruiter can look for evidence of progression and development as part of the search rather than filtering everybody by job title alone.

Be Clear About What Development You Can Offer

Development can also make a vacancy more attractive.

If there is manufacturer training available, a route towards management, support with EV qualifications or a genuine opportunity to take on more responsibility, candidates should know about it.

"Career progression available" is easy to put on an advert.

Explaining what somebody could actually progress into and how the business would help them get there is much more convincing.

Know When You Still Need Experience

There is no prize for forcing a potential hire into a vacancy that clearly needs an experienced person.

Sometimes the business needs somebody who can take control immediately. Sometimes there is nobody available to train them. Sometimes the technical or management gap is simply too large.

A specialist recruiter should be able to help distinguish between a candidate who is realistically ready for the next step and somebody for whom the vacancy is currently too big a jump.

Perfect Placement has specialised exclusively in UK automotive recruitment since 2003, working with employers across dealerships, independent garages, bodyshops, commercial vehicles and other areas of the motor trade.

Perfect Placement was also named Automotive Recruitment Agency of the Year at the 2026 Car Dealer Power Awards, our 14th consecutive win.

Could Hiring for Potential Work for Your Business?

Hiring for potential will not solve the automotive skills shortage on its own, and it will not suit every vacancy.

But the current skills picture makes development difficult to ignore. Automotive vacancies remain significant, technical roles dominate current recruitment demand, apprenticeship recruitment is not expanding significantly and new vehicle technology continues to create additional training needs.

When an experienced candidate is difficult to find, there is therefore value in asking a different question before simply continuing the same search.

Does this job genuinely need somebody who has already done it, or could we develop somebody who has shown they are ready for the opportunity?

If the answer is development, the next step is not to lower the bar. It is to decide what the person needs to learn, who will support them and how you will know when they are ready.

That is how potential becomes experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does Hiring for Potential Mean?

Hiring for potential means recruiting somebody who has shown they are capable of developing into more responsibility or additional skills, even if they have not previously performed every part of the new role. Employers should look for evidence of previous learning and progression and have a realistic plan for the development still required.

Does Hiring for Potential Mean Lowering Standards?

No. The standard somebody ultimately needs to reach does not change. Hiring for potential means recognising that the right person may be capable of reaching that standard with appropriate training, experience and support rather than requiring every candidate to have reached it before they join.

How Can Employers Identify High-Potential Employees?

Look for evidence that somebody has successfully taken on greater responsibility, learned new skills, completed relevant training or progressed previously. Giving existing employees opportunities to take on additional tasks can also help employers assess whether they are ready for a bigger role.

Can Hiring for Potential Help With EV Skills Shortages?

Yes. An experienced Vehicle Technician with strong technical foundations may be able to undertake further EV training and develop the competence required to work safely on high-voltage vehicles. Latest IMI figures show around 35% of the UK Technician workforce is currently EV-qualified, while demand is forecast to grow significantly over the coming decade.

When Should an Employer Recruit for Experience Instead?

Recruit for proven experience when the successful person needs to perform the full role immediately, where the development gap is too large, where safety or qualification requirements demand existing competence, or where the business does not have the time or resources to provide the necessary support.

About the Author

Ashley Camies

Ashley Camies is Marketing & Automation Manager at Perfect Placement, with 14 years of automotive recruitment experience. Since 2011, Ashley has worked within specialist motor trade recruitment, using recruitment data, candidate behaviour and first-hand market insight to explore the hiring challenges facing automotive employers across the UK.