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OPPORTUN KNOCKS
Page 61
Page 62
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Last autumn 10 people won a lottery on Teesside to train as HGV
drivers. Tim Maughan spoke to one of the former candidates,
who now drives for transport firm Prestons of Potto.
pOtto is only a short distance from the A19 but, despite being close to this busy carriageway, the village can be difficult to find. Luckily, on the day we visit the transport firm Prestons of Potto, assistance is on hand, The NorthYorks-based company sends driver Les Bell to pick us up in the neighbouring village of Craythorne. Bell is a Prestons employee who was trained from scratch to become a fully-qualified Category C+E holder — and secured an NW) and an ADR qualification— along the way.
The acute driver shortage has bitten the UK's transport industry for years. Potential recruits may find it impossible to raise the cash to train themselves. Operators, who"enjoy" profit margins of just 4-5 %, are often reluctant to bear such training costs.
In autumn 2003, operators across Teesside decided that they had to attract new recruits. The Teesside Sector Group, which includes hauliers such as The Stiller Group, Prestons of Potto, and David FcixTransport, organised an open day next to the Riverside Stadium.
Operators sent their trucks to the site, and the two-day event was advertised in the local press.The turnout was impressive: some 2,000 people attended the open day, and got the opportunity to climb inside trucks and talk to the operators.
The Teesside Learning & Skills Council had sufficient money to train 10 car drivers to become fully qualified Category C+E holders. A lottery was held over the two days. Until several weeks ago, John Craig was a training manager at Prestons. He has left the company, and is now a training adviser (see panel).
During the two-day recruitment programme, Craig estimates that he spoke to 500 people, all curious about the life of the HGV driver.
Interviewed
Alter the lottery was held, it took two weeks to award the 10 tickets. Bell, who was formerly a van driver on automotive delivery work, had always dreamed of operating an HGV. He had won the lottery, but that was no indication that he was really cut out for the job. He was interviewed at Prestons, but Craig points out that it was not just a matter of taking him on. and going through the motions. He had to be sure that Bell could cut the mustard.
Preslon: Happy to take Bell On
"I liked his sense of determination," remembers Craig."And I knew that all his life he had wanted to enter this industry. But was he really committed? Would he put himself through the necessary study? This was never guaranteed."
The Teesside Learning &Skills Council covered the price of the individual training modules.The theory test, Category C licence, ADR course, the Category C+E course and the NVQ Level 2 certificate cost the council £5,910.
Remember that Prestons had to pay Craig to guide Bell, too. Anne Preston,chairman of Prestons of Potto, was happy to take Bell on. After seeing his success, she spearheaded the North Yorkshire Logistics Employers' Group.This organisation consists of half-a dozen operators, who aim to secure funds for future driver training projects.
Bell did fail his first Category C+E test. -He was disappointed," says Craig. -The whole drive went well but somebody carved him up! But he was determined to get back in there for the next available test."
"It had been my lifelong ambition to drive trucks, and then the opportunity came up at the Riverside," remembers Bell.'! was over the moon when I was told that! was a lottery winner, and that Prestons would he doing the OPP training and I knew that failure was not an option."
Bell completed the various modules in 10 weeks."There was so much to do in such a small amount of time, it was very, very hard work."
Now, he is on general long-distance work.-I absolutely love it. I would not have been able to afford the training costs myself, so lam very grateful to the Teesside Learning & Skills Council and Prestons."
The highlight of the job for Bell? "Reversing," he says instantly. It is not the simply the manoeuvre itself. Rather, for him, it is the realisation that he may have travelled hundreds of miles with a valuable load, and then successfully rounded off the journey with a well executed reverse of a unit and curtainsider.
Speaking of the wider training process, Craig says: "It is an achievement. and I learned that anything is possible; it is like a fairy tale coming true to get somebody into the industry who could not otherwise afford the training."