Automotive Vehicle Body Repair

Training snapshot

In 2020 there were more than 3,850 program enrolments in Automotive – Vehicle Body Repair-related qualifications, down from the 2019 enrolment numbers of approximately 4,310. Completions have also decreased with around 820 recorded in 2020.

A significant proportion of enrolments were at the certificate III level (88%). More than half of the enrolments in 2020 were for qualifications relating to Automotive Body Repair Technology (51%) with the main intended occupation of Vehicle Body Builder, and a further 41% of enrolments were for qualifications relating to Automotive Refinishing Technology with the only intended occupation of Vehicle Painter.

More than half of the enrolments in 2020 were at TAFE institutes (around 52%), with most of the remaining occurring at private training providers (roughly 48%). The majority of subjects were Commonwealth and state funded (90%), with 8% domestic fee for service.

During 2020, close to a third of students were from New South Wales (34%), followed by Queensland (23%) and Victoria (21%). Nearly a third of the training was delivered New South Wales (approximately 33%), with around one quarter delivered in Queensland (25%) and 22% in Victoria.

Apprentice and trainee commencements and completions have both decreased overall between 2011 and 2020. After a slight increase between 2016 and 2017, commencements have declined to approximately 1,160 in 2020. There were roughly 600 completions in 2020, decreasing from close to 610 in 2019. The main intended occupations for the apprenticeships and traineeships were Vehicle Painter and Vehicle Body Builder. Approximately a third of apprenticeships and traineeships were reported by New South Wales (32%), followed by Victoria (24%) and Queensland (21%).

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Industry insights on skills needs

The Automotive IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast ranks a list of generic skills in order of importance for each industry sector. The top five ranked generic skills for the Vehicle Body Repair sector are:

• Design mindset/Thinking critically/System thinking/Solving problems
• Communication/Collaboration including virtual collaboration/Social intelligence
• Language, literacy and numeracy (LLN)
• Technology use and application
• Learning agility/Information literacy/Intellectual autonomy and self-management.

The Automotive IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast identified Vehicle Body Repair as one of the sectors where training components have not yet adapted to advancements in technology. The Vehicle Body Repair sector has been impacted by a range of new technologies which influence the type of skills and knowledge required in this sector, including advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and paintless dent repair (PDR). As a result, a review of Vehicle Body Repair qualifications has been completed to ensure training is adapted to technological advancements that are impacting on:

• More advanced automotive materials and equipment
• Vehicles and systems that are interconnected and interdependent
• OEM requirements
• Changing consumer preferences and increased awareness.

The outcomes of the review, detailed in the AUR Automotive Retail, Service and Repair Training Package Case for Endorsement, have included:

• Vehicle Body Repair qualifications – new units of competency for applying knowledge of ADAS technology in vehicle pre-repair scans and repairing high strength aluminium components have been created, and units have been updated to reflect changes in composite material technology and to provide opportunities for gaining foundational level skills in paintless dent repair.
• Vehicle Body Repair Certificate II – to address the need for a trade assistant role within the vehicle body repair sector that had been identified by industry, and to reflect a basic understanding of both the paint and panel elements of vehicle body repair is typically required, the elective bank of the qualification has been restructured to include three streams for body repair, paint, and glazing.
• Automotive re-finishing – the certificate III qualification has been restructured to ensure operation of paint drying equipment is included in the core bank, and units of competency have been updated to emphasise knowledge of different drying processes, colour science, and techniques to address the shortage of technicians in this subsector, and a need to meet skills gaps in newer paints and technologies that has been identified by industry.
• Automotive glazing – to address significant changes in skill requirements due to new chemical and bonding methods and an increased importance of adhering to safety procedures, the certificate III has been restructured to focus on key units of competency for technical processes including installing vehicle windows and glass components, and units of competency have been updated to include key safety issues, such as sourcing original equipment manufacturer (OEM) specifications, safe manual handling procedures, calibration of advanced driver assist systems, and working at height for heavy vehicle glazing operations.

The AUR Automotive Retail, Service and Repair Training Package Case for Endorsement also highlights manufacturer specifications will become a much more prevalent information source in completing tasks. A long-standing issue for independent repairers has been access to information from car manufacturers. In June 2021, the Australian Government passed legislation to establish a mandatory scheme for the sharing of motor vehicle service and repair information. The explanatory memorandum for the Competition and Consumer Amendment (Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Information Sharing Scheme) Bill 2021 states the Bill amends the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 to establish a scheme that mandates all service and repair information provided to car dealership networks and manufacturer preferred repairers be made available for independent repairers and registered training organisations to purchase. The legislation is due to come into effect on 1 July 2022. The Government has also released exposure draft rules to support the mandatory scheme’s implementation and operation.

The New South Wales (NSW) Government has reviewed the law regulating the NSW automotive industry. The Statutory Review of the Motor Dealers and Repairers Act 2013 Discussion Paper identifies four major trends in automotive technologies: electrification, automation, connectivity and sharing. As technology used in cars becomes more complex, work that was once simple requires a higher skill set and there is a need for greater skills, training and specialised equipment. The final report includes three recommendations relevant to repair work:

• The current repair classes and qualifications should be retained and the Department of Customer Service will establish a six monthly check in with industry to ensure the classes of repair work reflect the current working environment.
• Qualification requirements should continue to be embedded in the regulatory framework, but they should be removed from the Regulation and a power inserted in the Act to allow them to be approved by Ministerial Order to improve the ability to adapt to rapid changes in the industry.
• A cost benefit analysis should be undertaken of motor vehicle tradespersons being required to undertake specified further training in order to renew their tradesperson certificate.

The Skills Priority List includes Panelbeater and Vehicle Painter under occupations in national shortage, with moderate future demand. Occupations not in national shortage, with strong future demand include Autoglazier, Motor Vehicle Parts and Accessories Fitter (General), and Vehicle Body Builder and Vehicle Trimmer. Modelling undertaken by the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC) for their Recommended JobTrainer Fund Qualifications submission estimates national shortages in 2019-20 of 2,620 positions for vehicle spray painters, with 2,615 for panel beaters, 330 for vehicle detailers, and 140 for vehicle trimmers.

Department of Employment 2021, Employment Projections, available from the Labour Market Information Portal  

• by ANZSCO, selected occupations, employment projections to May 2025
  
  • 3241 Panelbeaters
  • 3242 Vehicle Body Builders and Trimmers
  • 3243 Vehicle Painters
  • 8994 Motor Vehicle Parts and Accessories Fitters
  • 8111 Car Detailers.

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021, 6291.0.55.001 - EQ08 - Employed persons by Occupation unit of main job (ANZSCO), Sex, State and Territory, August 1986 onwards, viewed 1 August 2021, https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia-detailed/may-2021

• Employed total by ANZSCO 4 digit '3241 Panelbeaters', '3242 Vehicle Body Builders and Trimmers', '3243 Vehicle Painters', '8994 Motor Vehicle Parts and Accessories Fitters', and '8111 Car Detailers', 2001 to 2021, May Quarter.

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017, 2016 Census – employment, income and unpaid work, TableBuilder. Findings based on use of ABS TableBuilder data.

• Employment level by 4 digit ANZSIC  9412 Automotive Body, Paint and Interior Repair industry class.

Training data has been extracted from the National VET Provider Collection, Total VET Students and Courses from the following training package or qualifications:

• AUR Automotive Retail, Service and Repair Training Package.
• Automotive and Marine Trimming Technology
  
  • AUR32312 - Certificate III in Automotive and Marine Trimming Technology
  • AUR32316 - Certificate III in Automotive and Marine Trimming Technology
  • AUR32320 - Certificate III in Automotive and Marine Trimming Technology.
• Automotive Body Repair Technology
  
  • AUR20905 - Certificate II in Automotive Vehicle Body
  • AUR20912 - Certificate II in Automotive Body Repair Technology
  • AUR20916 - Certificate II in Automotive Body Repair Technology
  • AUR20920 - Certificate II in Automotive Body Repair Technology
  • AUR30805 - Certificate III in Automotive Vehicle Body
  • AUR32112 - Certificate III in Automotive Body Repair Technology
  • AUR32116 - Certificate III in Automotive Body Repair Technology
  • AUR32120 - Certificate III in Automotive Body Repair Technology
  • AUR40712 - Certificate IV in Automotive Body Repair Technology
  • AUR40716 - Certificate IV in Automotive Body Repair Technology
  • AUR40718 - Certificate IV in Automotive Body Repair Technology
  • AUR40720 - Certificate IV in Automotive Body Repair Technology.
• Automotive Glazing Technology
  
  • AUR32212 - Certificate III in Automotive Glazing Technology
  • AUR32216 - Certificate III in Automotive Glazing Technology
  • AUR32220 - Certificate III in Automotive Glazing Technology.
• Automotive Refinishing Technology
  
  • AUR32412 - Certificate III in Automotive Refinishing Technology
  • AUR32416 - Certificate III in Automotive Refinishing Technology
  • AUR32420 - Certificate III in Automotive Refinishing Technology.
• Vehicle Loss Assessing
  
  • AUR40511 - Certificate IV in Vehicle Loss Assessing
  • AUR40512 - Certificate IV in Vehicle Loss Assessing
  • AUR40514 - Certificate IV in Vehicle Loss Assessing
  • AUR40520 - Certificate IV in Vehicle Loss Assessing.

This includes superseded qualifications and training packages.

Data covers a range of selected student and training characteristics in the following categories and years:

• 2016 to 2020 program enrolments
• 2016 to 2020 program completions.

Total VET students and courses data is reported for the calendar year. Program enrolments are the qualifications, courses and skill-sets in which students are enrolled in a given period. For students enrolled in multiple programs, all programs are counted. Program completion indicates that a student has completed a structured and integrated program of education or training. Location data uses student residence. Subject enrolment is registration of a student at a training delivery location for the purpose of undertaking a module, unit of competency or subject. For more information on the terms and definitions, please refer to the Total VET students and courses: terms and definitions document. 

Low counts (less than 5) are not reported to protect client confidentiality.

Percentages are rounded to one decimal place. This can lead to situations where the total sum of proportions in a chart may not add up to exactly 100%.

AUR Automotive Retail, Service and Repair Training Package apprentice and trainee data has been extracted from the National Apprentice and Trainee Collection, including:

• 2011 to 2020 commencements
• 2011 to 2020 completions
• apprentices and trainees in-training October to December 2020 collection, by qualification and state and territory of data submitter.