The National Bodyshop Repair Association (NBRA), Ageas UK and LKQ have recently partnered to launch the very first Apprentice Breakfast Club, hosted at the LKQ Academy in Tamworth.
This inaugural event marks the beginning of a new NBRA Breakfast Club series designed to bring the automotive repair industry together over coffee, conversation and collective action. The focus for this event? Tackling the skills shortage and inspiring businesses to embrace apprenticeships as a sustainable path forward.
Bringing together a vibrant mix of Bodyshops (both with and without apprentices), training providers, colleges and industry charity AutoRaise, the Breakfast Club offered a space for open and honest discussion.
Attendees explored the real challenges and opportunities in the apprenticeship landscape, heard firsthand experiences from apprentices, and broke down barriers around funding, processes and employer hesitations.
The conversations were frank and insightful; many repairers acknowledged a desire to grow but cited current staffing shortages or not knowing where to start as their biggest challenges. For some, this event was their first real engagement with the idea of taking on apprentices. The response was overwhelmingly positive.
As part of the morning’s success, LKQ has committed to hosting a dedicated ‘Sustainability Day’ free-of-charge course on 29th October, 2025, for up to eight apprentices taken on by repairers following the event, offering an exciting opportunity to inspire and empower the next generation of talent.
Martyn Rowley, Executive Director of the NBRA, commented: “The key theme of the day was to encourage and educate repairers about the value of taking on apprentices. I opened the event with a simple message: if even one repairer left the room committed to supporting a young person into the trade, we would have achieved our goal.
“The skills crisis is affecting every part of our industry, and addressing it requires collective action. We’re proud to stand with forward-thinking businesses ready to be part of the solution. I’m thrilled to share that by the end of the day five repairers had expressed genuine interest in taking on apprentices – some immediately.”
Meaningful outcomes followed quickly with three repairers committing to hiring apprentices, one repairer has begun interviewing for a full-time panel apprentice role, multiple attendees committed to offering work experience placements to school students and another has pledged to provide a three-month work experience opportunity for a student preparing to join an apprenticeship at a luxury vehicle manufacturer.
