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Drivers would like to get better training
Page 10
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• by Guy Sheppard Nearly three out of four truck drivers would be less likely to leave the industry f they were given more opportunity for professional training and development, according to a trade union survey.
But few drivers believe their bosses will give them the necessary financial help and time off work to do so.
The survey by the Transport & General Workers Union highlights a lack of training opportunities within the industry. Only 13% of drivers are currently doing a course, even though nearly a third felt they needed to develop their maths, literacy, communication and computer skills.
The research was carried out among a random sample of drivers across the country to discover their attitudes to training. It found that one in three already has some form of academic qualification such as GCSEs, but one in five has no qualifications at all.
Most drivers (61%) felt that training would increase their job satisfaction and help cope with changes to their work.
Although work commitments are an obvious barrier to joining training courses, the survey found that only 15% of drivers believed that they would receive the necessary support from their bosses.
"There is a need for greater clarity in the messages the employers convey to their workers about their commitment to professional training and development," says the T&G.
"Training and personal development are a vital element in achieving job satisfaction," says T&,G general secretary Bill Morris. However, training is viewed less positively the longer drivers have been doing the job. Typical responses among veterans included: "Too late for me, but the younger ones should do it" and "I've learned all I need to know".