RTITB acts on CM's jobless training plan
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• Following initial suggestions from Commercial Motor (CM April 23) that the resources and facilities of the RTITB could be used to train unemployed persons as heavy goods vehicles drivers, the Board's training policy committee announced this week that, having considered the matter, it felt that "the moment was particularly opportune for such an initiative".
However, the Board says it is anxious to avoid a situation where employment as an hgv driver might be regarded as a casual solution for persons who find themselves unemployed as a result of a temporary recession in their own industry. On the contrary, the Board believes that driving skills and standards of employment are being elevated to the point where hgv driving offers a man a satisfying and highly attractive career.
The main problem that arises in launching a scheme for the training of the unemployed is, of course, the question of finance. The Board does not believe it can ask employers in the road transport industry, through their training levy, to contribute to the solution of a national unemployment problem, which is a social responsibility. Under present arrangements, the Board would have to accept liability for paying grant in the form of subsistence allowance to any unemployed person accepted for training. In doing so, it would be relieving the social security funds from the responsibility of paying unemployment benefit, in addition to accepting the actual cost of training.
The Board, therefore, is seeking early discussions with the Department of Employment with a view to considering what kind of financial assistance might be made available, either directly or indirectly, to help the Board bear the cost of training the unemployed. It is hoped that these discussions will take place within the next couple of weeks.
In the meantime, the Board proposes to give early consideration to an experimental scheme for training up to 100 unemployed persons for employment with companies within the Board's own scope.