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First driver receives his on-the job NVII—at 61
Page 10
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II After nearly 40 years at the wheal, a 61-year old truck driver has become one of the first to embrace a new qualification—the Driving Goods Vehicles Certificate NVQ.
Stuart Tomkins, who works for Kingwinsford-based haulier AE Hawkins, was awarded the qualification after taking part in an innovative scheme offered by ins, Stourbridge College's transport and logistics training divisions.
lienkins says: "Even after forty years of driving it does no harm to have a qualification—and it was interesting."
The NVQ offered by KITS allows drivers to be assessed on the job, looking at hands-on, practical skiffs. The KITS assessor and his cameras are brought into the working driver's cab to form a CD-based video and picture portfolio of the driver at work. As long as the right skills are evident in the portfolio, the driver is awarded the qualification, without needing any time off work.
The scheme is backed by government funding, so KITS can offer it to haulage companies free of charge, says the organisation's national development coordinator, Gavin Morcom.
KITS is now working on the qualification with 83 drivers from Tiff Express UK.
• One of the youngest drivers yet has passed his category C+E as part of the Young Drivers Scheme.
Nineteen-year-old Marc Baker, from Bampton in Devon, passed his artic test about two weeks ago. He passed his category C aged 18.