Norway has created a dedicated vehicle dismantling apprenticeship to reflect the wider skills now required in end-of-life vehicle operations. Developed with industry input, the programme formalises training in depollution, reuse, logistics, compliance and sustainability, helping recyclers recruit skilled workers and prepare for more circular, technology-driven dismantling.
Silje Bergill Hagen, Advisor at Utdanningsdirektoratet (UDIR), the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training, discusses why Norway has moved to formalise vehicle dismantling as a distinct apprenticeship trade. Driven by industry demand for broader skills in depollution, reuse, logistics, and compliance, the new standard reflects the view that traditional automotive training no longer meets the full competence needs of modern ELV operations. Hagen explains how input from Norske Bilressurser, recyclers, employer organisations and trade unions helped shape a programme designed to support recruitment, professionalise the sector and prepare dismantlers for a more circular, technology-driven future.
Shaped by industry, built for change
The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training has an online form where anyone can propose changes to the structure of or curriculum for vocational education programmes. Example reasons for submitting a proposal include developments in the industry that create a need for a new qualification or changed competence requirements, or the green transition and technological developments that create new competency needs among skilled workers.
Norske bilressurser submitted a proposal for a new apprenticeship trade. After an assessment involving industry contacts, Norske bilressurser, other recyclers, and employer organisations and trade unions, it was decided to establish the trade.
Norske bilressurser has contributed two industry representatives to the establishment of the trade. A teacher in the automotive trades at an upper secondary school and a representative from the recycling sector also contributed. The curriculum group, comprising Jarl-Petter Reime, Ola Utvik, Einar Bruu and Ole Johannes Bakke, has carried out an impressive piece of work.
Vehicle dismantling demands far more than traditional mechanical skills.
The assessment showed that the existing related apprenticeship trade, such as automotive mechanics, are insufficient. The professional practice spans several fields: automotive/vehicle/mechanics, waste and environmental remediation, reuse, logistics, and sales.
Although automotive mechanics are relevant workers for the industry, their competence does not fully cover, in this context, environmental remediation and reuse, which constitute a significant part of the occupation. Furthermore, the assessment indicates that the dismantling process is sufficiently extensive to constitute a distinct vocational field. There is a considerable difference between dismantling individual components for replacement in a workshop and dismantling an entire car.
Professional vehicle dismantlers require broad competence in automotive/vehicle/mechanics, waste and environmental remediation, reuse, logistics, and sales. The dismantling process covers the entire vehicle and requires in-depth knowledge of safety and environmental considerations. Moreover, it is the vehicle dismantler who assesses whether a used part can be reused and is defined as an “equivalent used part,” and who is therefore responsible for the quality assurance of the guarantees the company provides to its customers.
Built to embed sustainability, compliance and circular thinking at every stage of dismantling
In the curriculum, we have an interdisciplinary topic called sustainable development. It states, among other things:
In VG3 Bilfaget, Demontering av kjøretøy (vehicle dismantling), the interdisciplinary topic of sustainable development concerns complying with industry and manufacturer requirements for return schemes for different types of components, oils, fluids, and gases. The topic also includes assessing and sorting materials for reuse and reflecting on how the sector can reduce its environmental footprint.
The curriculum is designed so that the industry itself must take responsibility for new sustainability regulations, for example, those coming from the EU, and candidates preparing for the exam and later the trade test must stay updated on the regulations.
There are also several competence aims in the curriculum that relate to the environment, sustainability, and the circular economy, including:
- Handling synthetic and natural refrigerants responsibly with respect to environmental and safety considerations in accordance with current laws and regulations.
- Following the rules and routines the company and industry have for further handling of goods for recycling or sale.
- Assessing and handling chemicals, batteries, gases, raw materials, and waste using product and safety data sheets in accordance with current rules and routines, and explain the consequences of incorrect handling.
Formal training aims to boost skills, recruitment and long-term workforce resilience
In the assessment, we establish a description of the desired future state for both society as a whole and for the target groups. This includes both societal goals (desired impact) and effect goals (desired future state for the target group(s) – apprentices, the industry, cooperation bodies for training establishments, schools, etc.). This description helps determine which initiatives best solve the problem state. In our assessment in this particular case, the initiative to establish a new apprenticeship trade is the best way to reach the desired future state, as described below.
Societal goals:
- Ensure access to the competence required to support the vehicle dismantling industry.
- Increase the recruitment of skilled workers in a rapidly growing industry.Ensure competence to meet an expected increase in demand.
- Ensure value creation in a profession that promotes the circular economy and sustainable development.
- Formalise the competence of unskilled workers and secure employment.
Effect goals:
- More employees within vehicle dismantling have formalised their competence.
- The labour market has access to vocational competence in a sector undergoing technological development.
- Individuals in physically demanding occupations, such as automotive mechanics, have alternative career pathways, enabling them to remain longer in the workforce.
- Students have the opportunity to choose between different pathways.
Designed to keep pace with new vehicle technologies and future regulations
The curriculum is designed openly so that new regulations and technological developments can be addressed without needing to change it. We focus on descriptions of attained competence aims, and less so on the specific skills and knowledge. This enables training establishments that educate skilled workers to adapt training in line with industry developments while remaining in accordance with the curriculum.
Further reading on Auto Recycling World
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Digital Dismantlers: Driving the Circular Car Economy Online
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IRT webinar review: Accreditation schemes focus on trust, data and AI-driven grading
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EU Council and Parliament agree new vehicle circularity and ELV rules
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1000+ ELV Centres Join Recycler Mon Véhicule
