The_Assessor_Spring 2026 web - Flipbook - Page 11
3M’S COMMITMENT TO SKILLED
TRADES
A rapidly evolving collision repair
industry has led to innovative and
sophisticated vehicles that require
increasingly complex repairs. The
need for quali昀椀ed collision repair
technicians to meet this demand is
signi昀椀cant, yet the industry is faced
with a critical skills shortage. A recent
survey from Thatcham Research
found that over 70 percent of repair
and salvage professionals believe
the widening skills gap is a growing
challenge that requires industry-wide
action, while the Institute of the Motor
Industry projects a shortfall of over
44,000 skilled technicians by 2035. A
deep foundation of expertise, rooted
in hands-on teaching and training, is
critical for shops to adapt.
3M’s new Skills Development Centre
at MIRA Tech Park expands upon
3M’s commitment to investing in
training for skilled trades, following the
opening of the 3M Skills Development
Centre in North America in 2023. The
centre’s location in the 85-acre MIRA
Technology Park, one of Europe’s
leading automotive and mobility
innovation hubs, makes it a convenient
location for 3M customers as well
as top industry OEMs such as Aston
Martin, Bentley, Jaguar Land Rover and
Toyota.
The facility will provide hands-on
training courses that cover core aspects
across the vehicle repair process.
The facility’s training and education
opportunities will include a wide range
of industrial abrasives processes, from
metal fabrication to automation and
昀椀ne surface 昀椀nishing.
INNOVATIVE TRAINING
RESOURCES
Pilot courses are due to commence
in the second half of 2026. Leading
instruction at the centre will be a
staff of seasoned experts across 3M’s
Automotive Aftermarket Division
(AAD) and Abrasive System Division
www.iaea-online.org/news/the-assessor | SPRING 2026 | THE ASSESSORS JOURNAL
(ASD), who bring decades of combined
industry experience and expertise. The
centre’s training courses will address a
variety of valuable topics for channel
partners and end-user customers.
Innovative training resources at the
centre include a dedicated spray
booth, paint mixing stations, metal
fabrication and 昀椀ne surface 昀椀nishing
areas, and acoustically insulated
grinding stations with dust extraction
capability. The centre also features
of昀椀ce space for the resident technical
teams as well as a large-capacity,
classroom style space and several
smaller conference rooms, all of
which are equipped with audiovisual
connectivity.
Participants can learn management
techniques to make their repair shop
operations more pro昀椀table, including
the use of the 3M RepairStack
inventory management and billing
system.
JOURNAL
11
