AutoRaise and NBRA have collaborated to help vehicle repairers across the UK address challenges around skills, investment in young people and apprenticeships.

The collaboration will see the NBRA extending an opportunity for its members to become AutoRaise Affiliated Repairers through an increased monthly subscription that will be passed in its entirety to AutoRaise.

NBRA’s executive director Chris Weeks said: “NBRA recognises that the shortage of skills in the industry is now one of the greatest challenges we face.  

“Having offered various aspects of support to Autoraise previously, it made sense to formalise and expand this into a partnership that offers the full weight of our membership and resources."

In turn, AutoRaise shall extend its offer to help NBRA members address their skills crisis by putting together bespoke strategies to help search, recruit, assess and onboard young people in to their businesses. This will include an exclusive NBRA Guideline Manual to Introduce Apprentices for all members.

AutoRaise’s chief executive Bob Linwood said: “We have recognised that the NBRA is already providing important areas of business support to its members and that AutoRaise has an opportunity to get its vital message out to those same members; that there is a place to go to get help and support with finding, recruiting and onboarding young people in to technical apprenticeships in our industry.

“It makes perfect sense to work alongside Chris and his team to extend our voice and our reach and we are extremely excited about this important partnership."

The organisations believe it is essential that the industry gets behind addressing the skills shortage, whether it be taking on new apprentices, hosting industry showcase events or simply helping to spread the word.