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Train and we'll pay
Page 8
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THE SHORTAGE of temporary drivers is so acute that one supply agency says it's willing to pay up to £2,000 to train them for an HGV licence.
Driver Hire of Leicester has launched a campaign to add 100 drivers to its books. It says it will pay to put the right people through training: "If 10 people a day walked through our door for the next 10 days, we'd be able to give out work for all 100," says the company's operations manager, Paul McKenna.
"If they are willing to work 65 shifts over the next 13 weeks, we'll pay for them to get their HGV licence. We have 1,000 people on the books, but they're never available at the same time. Most weeks we are using between 150 and 200 people."
The shortage of temporary drivers is also highlighted in a report by consultants, Ernst and Young. It says there has been a 40% growth in the temporary drivermarket over the past three years. This will more than double by 2005 to a market worth £4.4bn.
This means another 47,000 temporary drivers will be needed over the next two years.