Skoda wants to help Ireland's older people back into the motor industry.
Simply old, still clever
Under its new 'Simply old, still clever' age diversity initiative, Skoda wants to recruit older people, who may have worked in the motor trade, to come back to the industry. Why? Quite simply because Skoda: "Believes the older generation possesses unrivalled skills in this area and are taking the first steps to re-introduce retirees into the work place to fulfil customer facing duties in showrooms and forecourts across their dealer network."
Peak January demand
According to Skoda, Ireland's dealer networks are often under-staffed and unable to cope with the volume of new car sales that takes place in the first quarter of the year, with some 43 per cent of all annual sales taking place in just January and February. The company believes that older, retired people, who have customer service and sales experience, can be tempted back on a part-time or temporary basis to shore up the workforce at these times of high demand. It is in these peak periods Skoda believes they can utilise the retired skillset to fulfil vehicle test drives, vehicle demonstrations and vehicle customer hand overs; all the while maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction and service. The Skoda Dealer network has embraced the idea and has already begun the recruitment process.
Speaking at the launch, Skoda Ireland Head of Marketing and Product, Raymond Leddy said: "Many vehicle brands are over-focused on the youth market, technology and digitalisation. Very few brands are stepping into the territory of considering older employees and even fewer will publicise or endorse associations with the older generation. At Skoda, we see ourselves as paving the way for others in not just the motor industry but in Irish businesses in general to follow suit."
Francis Brennan part of the drive
Celebrity hotelier and TV presenter Francis Brennan has come on board with Skoda to be the face of this new campaign. "I just turned 66 and I have no plans to retire anytime soon" said Mr. Brennan at the launch. "Many of us are fitter and more physically active in our 50s and 60s than our parents were. Life expectancy is at record levels and we can expect a much longer period of healthy, active retirement. The more I experience, the more I know that keeping mentally active has significant benefits for health and wellbeing. Opportunities like this will bring huge benefits to both the employees and the Skoda business in general."
Skoda claims that those over 65 represent more than 15 per cent of the Irish population reaching 23 per cent by 2040. This group is already valued by Skoda as this generation has been essential to the success of the brand in Ireland with 18 per cent of their current customers over the age of 60. This growing cohort is also proven to be more loyal with 90 per cent of this group likely to repurchase (versus 85 per cent of 31-40 year olds). The company is expecting that 75 per cent of its dealers will take part in the recruitment, providing flexible working arrangements designed around the correct candidates.