BMW UK targets 5-year-olds with newest apprentice program
BMW has launched an apprentice program in the UK that includes a hands-on electric vehicle engineering workshop for 5- and 6-year-olds, according to a press release.
“New research suggests a generational shift in when parents begin considering their children’s future working lives — from the later years of secondary school to the first years of primary school,” the release states.
The data comes from two surveys commissioned by BMW Group UK. The surveys, which included answers from 2,500 UK parents, compared the experiences of parents raising children today and those whose children have already reached early adulthood.
About 58% of 2,000 parents said they started thinking about their child’s future working life while their children were between the ages of four and 11. Another 30% said they started thinking about it when their children were between four and 6 years old.
In comparison, about 50% of the 500 parents whose children are now adults said they began thinking about their child’s future working life when their children were between the ages of 15 and 18. Another 38% said they wish they had started thinking about their child’s career earlier.
BMW’s Apprentice 2036 is designed to inspire children and help their families think about careers at a younger age.
“Children starting school today could be applying for their first apprenticeships in 2036, following a pathway currently taken by nearly 500 BMW Group UK apprentices in roles spanning automotive technology, manufacturing and engineering, marketing and communications,” the release states.
The heart of the campaign is The Spark Lab, a hands-on electric vehicle engineering workshop created for 5- and 6-year-olds, the release adds.
More than 76% of survey respondents agreed that primary school children should have more opportunities to visit workplaces and try practical activities such as engineering and technology.
Another 78% of the parents believe that AI will significantly change the jobs available to their children, and 49% say they don’t know which skills their child will need to succeed in the future workplace.
Sixty-three percent of parents said they believe it will be harder for children to find a job in 10 years than it is today, and 72% say they would feel more confident about their child’s future career if employers provided more information.
A majority of parents (43%) still felt college was an important route to employment, 39% would like their child to consider an apprenticeship, and 35% would want their children to start full-time employment after secondary education.
The Spark Lab has already welcomed its first pupils this year, the release states. It adds that they explored electric vehicles, batteries, charging technologies, and designed their own EV.
The workshop encouraged problem-solving, communication, and creativity, the release adds. It also notes that these are three skills parents most commonly said they want their children to develop from a young age.
BMW Group UK offers apprenticeships spanning collision repair and automotive technology, manufacturing, engineering, and marketing and communications, the release states. Apprentices earn a salary while Level 6 degree apprentices earn their degree without taking on student debt.
“Parents can see that technology is changing working life, so it is understandable that many are beginning to think about their children’s futures earlier,” said Sam Jarvis, BMW Group UK human resources director for the UK and Ireland. “The vehicles today’s five and six-year-olds could one day help to design, build, maintain or explain will be very different from those we know now. What we do know is that we will need curious, creative and highly skilled people to help create and sell the cars of the future.”
Ford’s “ACCELERATE the Essential Economy” event held today will focus on addressing the skilled trades gap in the U.S.
The event can be livestreamed here.
“For decades, we told a generation of American kids there was exactly one respectable way to build a life: sit in a college classroom for four more years after high school, take on the debt, get the degree,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said in a web post last week. “It was a good story. It just wasn’t a complete one. And the bill for that incompleteness is now coming due.”
GM CEO Mary Barra recently discussed a workforce shortage on Fortune’s “Titans and Disruptors of Industry” podcast. She said high school students shouldn’t overlook blue-collar jobs, which could offer more protection from AI than some white-collar paths.
“[We need to] really make sure high school students understand this is a great career and frankly maybe a little more AI-proof than some others,” Fortune reports Barra saying.
She added that a technician could make $80,000 to $90,000.
Barra said GM has invested about $200 billion over the past year to grow and modernize high-demand skilled trades as well as advanced manufacturing, engineering, and technician roles.
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Credit for all photos: David Parry/PA Media Assignments (courtesy of BMW UK)