New Skills Needed In Automotive Engineering

The growth of electric vehicles (EVs) and autonomous vehicles means that organisations operating in the automotive industry are increasingly looking for engineers with a range of new skills.

Speaking to the Engineer, chief engineer for automated driving at Jaguar Land Rover Joerg Schlinkheider explained that as a result of this new technology, his company is increasingly looking for engineers with experience in artificial intelligence and human-machine interfaces.

When it comes to EVs, the demand is for materials scientists, he revealed, pointing out that the chemicals used in the batteries and a battery’s life are among the most important things in this field.

Software specialists and those with experience of robotics are also sought after in the automotive engineering sector at present, Mr Schlinkheider added.

If you’re looking for a new challenge in your career, you may want to look at the range of engineering training courses available that could help you move into this growing area.

Given that automation has been named as a genuine risk to jobs in the coming years, developing your skills in some of these areas could be a good way to future-proof your CV and ensure you are always able to find work.

Arun Srinivasan, executive vice-president and head of mobility solution at Bosch UK, told the Engineer that the shift towards engineers with knowledge of artificial intelligence, human-machine interfaces, software development and robotics doesn’t mean that traditional engineering skills are no longer required.

Rather, it represents “a continuing evolution in the skills of our workforce,” he explained.