A1 Clutches recruits overseas technician to address skills crisis

With staff shortages afflicting businesses across the automotive sector, Midlands-based garage chain A1 Clutches recently decided to tackle the issue head-on by recruiting a mechanic from India with the support of Easy2Recruit, the agency helping garages hire overseas talent.

Nidhin Morath became part of A1’s workforce in November. Originally from Kerala, he was already working abroad at a multi-brand workshop in the United Arab Emirates before coming to the UK to join A1 at the company’s Tipton site. He brings with him 12 years of sector experience. “Nidhin has joined us at just the right time and has already proved himself to be a great addition to the team,” said A1 Clutches CEO and founder Amrik Singh. “He is quickly learning our speciality and is taking on more work every day.”

The move comes as motor sector businesses face increasing challenges around staffing, with thousands of roles going unfilled. According to the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) Automotive Vacancies Report, in September 2024 there were 20,000 vacancies across the sector, or 3.5 for every 100 employees. At the same time, the number of advertised roles has been falling, with the IMI’s Labour Market Report showing a 38% fall in job postings between July 2023 and July 2024.

A1 Clutches operates from four sites in Birmingham, Cannock and Derby as well as Tipton. Specialising in clutch and gearbox repairs, the business has been operating since 1990. While the overall automotive sector continues to face widespread skills shortages, the focused nature of the work being undertaken across A1’s network has meant that the business has faced an even greater challenge when it comes to taking on staff.

“We were looking for mechanics that would be able to concentrate on clutch and gearbox work,” said Amrik, “which means we need the best possible candidates. With no one available locally, we decided to look further afield.”

Amrik got in touch with Easy2Recruit, who were able to provide a number of potential candidates. Once the team at A1 chose Nidhin, Easy2Recruit were able to manage all the immigration paperwork, as well as source accommodation.

“The whole process was incredibly smooth,” said Amrik. “Now Nidhin is working with us, and he has quickly adapted to A1 Clutches’ fast-paced environment, bringing knowledge, enthusiasm, and a strong work ethic to the team.”

A1 Clutches is one of an increasing number of businesses looking overseas to overcome their staffing issues.

“Nidhin is one of many success stories we are now able to share,” said Easy2Recruit founder and CEO Ambi Singh. “Amrik and the team at A1 Clutches have been able to bring a truly competent technician into their team, and he is already helping to boost output from the site after just a few months. Studies continue to show that there are just not enough mechanics to meet industry demand, so more garages are looking to our solution to solve their own shortages.”