• Norauto must recruit 1,300 seasonal and work-study workers this year.

  • Faced with employee turnover and recruitment difficulties, the brand is trying a new approach to attract talent.

  • The leader in car maintenance has launched a national mechanics competition.

Many business sectors are facing recruitment difficulties or even a labor shortage.

This is mainly the case in the hotel and catering industry and in industry.

This problem does not spare the automobile and related trades, such as vehicle maintenance.

French leader in the sector, Norauto is particularly affected during the seasonal increase in its activity.

By imagining Méca master, a car mechanics competition, the northern group intends to motivate many talents in order to create a "pool".

This Tuesday, in Lesquin, near Lille, around fifteen mechanics from all over France competed in the Méca master final.

Registration opened on March 15 and no less than 10,000 candidates tried their luck by completing an online MCQ.

Among them, a hundred women, none of whom was selected during the preselection of 500 candidates.

After a new skimming based on motivational videos sent by the participants, 15 finalists were selected.

"Any experience is good to take"

Tuesday morning, they took part in the final tests, in particular a part of pure mechanics: “They will have 50 minutes to fit a rear brake kit, change a timing belt and diagnose a breakdown.

It's more than enough, just don't waste time, ”says Fabrice, employee at Norauto and member of the jury.

Cédric first tackles the distribution methodically: "In my little garage, I'm doing the same thing on a Ferrari", he laughs.

Originally from Tarbes, he recognizes that "any experience is good to take" and that he would see himself working in the company.

Because Norautos are everywhere.

“We open about ten new centers each year, in our own name or as a franchise.

This corresponds to around 400 permanent hires”, explains Ingrid Robil, the human resources (HR) manager.

His department recognizes that there is a significant turnover among employees.

Added to the increase in summer activity, this further complicates recruitment.

“This year, we need 1,300 work-study and seasonal workers.

This competition is a way to attract candidates and build up a pool of talent, even if this does not necessarily lead to a job,” adds Carine Ramez, head of the Méca master project.

This first edition is therefore a success, the brand having managed to attract very different profiles from all over the territory: the North, Tarnes, Chambéry, Saint-Nazaire, Paris... The youngest finalist is only 19 years old and works at a Ducatti motorcycle dealership.

However, not everyone dreams of working at Norauto, especially concession mechanics accustomed to a slower pace of work, one of the juries confided to us.

The prize that will be awarded to the winner is also attractive: participation in the very popular RMC show,

Wheeler dealers France

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  • Lille

  • Automotive

  • Job

  • Economy

  • Competition

  • Mechanical

  • Hauts-de-France