Young guns: Triumph commit to further youth worker programs to encourage more into the bike industry

Triumph are doing their bit to help the future of the British motorcycle industry, with plans to boost the number of young people working in their dealers and a new awards scheme on the cards to help students showcase design ideas.

“In addition to employment opportunities being created each year at head office, there are plans to expand the numbers of younger people working within our dealer network, and we are supporting our dealers’ efforts to actively recruit younger retail and technical staff,” Triumph’s Chief Commercial Officer Paul Stroud told MCN.

“Our dedicated STEM Outreach team is also planning the new Triumph Design Awards, which is an opportunity for students to showcase their innovative designs and ideas to industry professionals.

“We are aiming to relaunch this in 2024 as a more inclusive programme, so we can ensure that the opportunities it brings are available to all students, irrespective of background.”

The recruitment drive follows concerns that not enough young people are coming into biking. Speaking to MCN in February, Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) chief Tony Campbell said: “The challenges we face in attracting young people to work in the sector are the same we face in attracting new and young riders. We have been great at servicing an ageing rider community; this in large part is mirrored by our workforce,” he said.

To help combat this issue, the MCIA worked with recruitment firm BikeJobs and the National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA) to create a Careers Hub stand at last November’s Motorcycle Live show at Birmingham’s NEC, which attracted a promising 150 serious enquires.

Paul Stroud continued: “There is a huge challenge for the whole industry to attract and retain younger staff and we are committed to supporting the MCIA’s drive.

“Nationally, we are working with our dealer network to actively support the recruitment of young retail and technical staff through dedicated initiatives like the dealer apprentice training scheme.”

Alongside plans for the future, the Hinckley-based firm already offer several support schemes for younger workers. At their Leicestershire headquarters alone, there are multiple apprenticeships on offer, as well as roles for graduates leaving university.

Three-year apprenticeships are also on offer for kids as young as 16 across the dealer network. These provide training for technicians and are Automotive Technician Accredited (ATA) and come with a qualification in Motor Vehicle Engineering from the Institute of the Motor Industry.

“Triumph is also keen to support potential students who live in areas where there is low participation in higher education, so we are working with Loughborough University to provide engineering scholarships,” Stroud went on.

“We hope to enable these students to advance their education by attending university to study Product Design Engineering or Automotive Engineering, and for them to be supported through their studies by our Triumph Engineering Mentor Scheme.”

A record number of scholarships have been awarded for 2023, with 53 future engineers taking full advantage of the offer – being provided £3000 a year for three years to help with the costs of study.

For more information, visit triumphmotorcycles.co.uk/careers.