Automotive Manufacturing

When we talk about the automotive manufacturing industry in Australia we are referring to the manufacture of heavy vehicles such as buses, trucks, trailers and specialised vehicles. This industry is still going strong and can provide stable employment.

Most automotive skills are transferable across different industry sectors, meaning that you will be learning skills that you can take with you across multiple career paths.

What does this industry cover?

Bus manufacturing includes bus bodies, bus chassis, fully built buses and bus components.

Specialised vehicle manufacturing includes fire engines, street sweepers and emergency service vehicles.

Trailer manufacturing includes general and specialised freight trailers including container skels, flat-tops, dry freight and temperature-controlled freight equipment, livestock, and dry and liquid tanker trailers.

Job hunting preparation

When searching for jobs in this sector, remember that many industries are reliant on the manufacturing of heavy vehicles or trailers. You may have the opportunity to experience some variety between different sectors, for example, the mining and agricultural industries, freight and public infrastructure all require workers with skills in Automotive Manufacturing.

Employers are looking for people with strong STEM (science, technology, engineering and science) skills due to the advancement of technology. Good language, literacy and numeracy skills are also important. This includes digital literacy to enable adaptability and flexibility for continuous automation changes across the different sectors.

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Information for further research

Industry information is published by peak level associations, government and major employers. Accessing industry association sites, including member lists, is a good way of building up an understanding of an industry. Visiting employer websites and looking for careers or employment menus helps identify how employers recruit and the skills they are recruiting.