A STAFFING crisis is looming in the repair industry due to a lack of qualified bodyshop managers, the Retail Motor Industry Federation is warning. RMI Bodyshop Services senior manager Bob Hood said that despite a number of bodyshop closures, experienced managers were in short supply.

'Bodyshop managers in particular seem to be at a premium as many are leaving the industry to seek less pressurised jobs,' he said. 'The ones that are left behind hop from job to job, either for more money or in search of an easier lifestyle which, of course, they will never find in this business.'

Hood believes bodyshops should reassess their staffing arrangements, putting greater emphasis on staff who 'meet and greet' customers and leaving managers to oversee the repair process. 'People who have grown up in a technical environment are not always best qualified to handle pressures from consumers,' he said. 'The body repair industry would benefit from an injection of personnel from the general service sector in addition to retaining the traditional practical bodyshop management skills.'