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YOUNG HGV DRIVERS SCHEME SET TO GROW
Page 35
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The Young HGV Drivers Scheme is a little known gem—but Ian Hetherington, chairman of the Road Haulage Distribution and Training Council, aims to spread the message throughout the industry. The scheme lasts for two years. Trainees, aged 16-20 join a haulage firm, then learn the ins and outs of the job. There has been a significant development in this area at the time of joining trainees had to be 19 or under, but following RHDTC consultation with transport ministers, the age limit has been increased to 20.1t is all about getting as many recruits as possible. At 18 a trainee can take his Class C test On passing the trainee can continue to drive rirOds, as long as he continues to work for the haulier. "It is a very rigorous training programme," says Hetherington. They can then go on to take their CE test at 21.
Early next year 500 grants, worth £2,500 each, will be available to operators who take part in the scheme. The RHDIC is in discussions with the Learning and Skills Council in a bid to secure cash to support initiatives such as the Young HGV Drivers Scheme.
The RHDTC aims to get 3,000 trainees a year onto the scheme before 2004, by which time it plans to have the Transferable Training Loans Scheme in place. Under this scheme companies which train drivers who are then snapped up by other firms can recoup the balance of the training costs from the driver's new employer!
Hetherington (left) salutes Driver Drive 2001. There is a long way to go, he says, but much progress has been made: "The campaign seems to have made an Impossible task no longer impossible. It has highlighted the challenges which the industry faces." Since Driver Drive 2001 got underway, the industry has made a "quantum leap".
Contact: RHDTC on 01908 313360.