Build your people power – the best of the AM & IMI People Conference


Building your people power – AM & IMI People Conference report How to create a people culture – Daksh Gupta, Marshall Motor Group CEO The motor industry needs to invest in professionalism – Steve Nash, IMI Training in-house with a staff academy – Elaine Ashworth, Peter Vardy How the independents can help motor retail as a whole – Stuart James, IGA The importance of people for a best-selling brand – Chris Roberts, Vauxhall How to analyse your training programme's return on investment – Dr Paul Spear, IMI Connecting young people to the motor trade – Tokunbo Ajasa-Oluwa, head of GoThinkBig
The AM & IMI People Conference 2014 was co-sponsored by:

Here we present the report from the AM/IMI People Conference, held earlier this month. Its aims were to understand how the sector is responding to the skills gap and to learn about the various solutions that will have a positive impact and provide sustainability for the sector.

Delegates heard from industry experts on how the right training has proven to be an investment, not a cost, and allowed their business to grow during challenging economic environments.

A retail automotive business relies on its people - read this free report from the AM/IMI People Conference
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This can be achieved by more engagement with leaders in automotive retail, encouraging them to develop core skills that offer a common currency across the sector and demonstrate a clear career path within their business that will attract the right people.

♦ View images from the conference here

To ensure the automotive retail sector continues to play a significant role in the UK economy, it is essential it maintains a workforce that is competent and has up-to-date skills. Skills gaps and shortages have a negative impact on the economic growth of sectors and ultimately limit the UK’s ability to compete in a global market.

Every aspect of a retail automotive business relies on its people, from those taking their first tentative steps as apprentices, to managers and leaders' succession planning at the top.
The sector already invests significantly in training and understands that people are the key to success. However, recruitment, training and development needs to be more focused and it needs to provide measured outcomes and avoid duplication.

People are key profit-drivers and providing them with the best tools to enable them to excel and develop in their roles as well as progress is the essence of a successful business.

AM and IMI’s People Conference provided industry professionals with best practice, new ideas and details on how to access resources to tackle training, recruitment and retention. The event also explored how to plug the skills gap and attract external industry applicants as well as high-achieving school leavers and graduates to the sector with a defined career path accompanied by nationally recognised training accreditation.

Are you doing everything possible to retain your staff and create a highly skilled workforce?
For the latest thinking and information on the changing professionalism of automotive retail, click on the adjoining links to each speaker.