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You can't always find veterans
Page 66
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Give novices a chance, says Sandy Bruce, as he ponders the future now that the recently returned government is warning of difficult times ahead.
Ihave recently been looking through the Situations Vacant sections of the papers in an attempt to find some meaningful employment for my daughter who has just graduated. She is faced with the age-old problem that employers all want experienced candidates, with no-one giving recent graduates the chance to learn.
Different approach
We do things a bit differently Some time ago we adopted a policy of taking on young people whom we wish to train, firstly as drivers of Transit-sized vehicles, then to Class C and eventually to Class C+E.We enter into a contractual agreement with the trainees with regard to the cost of their training, which will be charged back to them in the event of their leaving before the agreed period of service.
We have found this to be a very successful policy that has provided us with a steady supply of new staff who are not only trained to meet our own standards. but who have been grateful for the opportunity and demonstrated very encouraging commitment to the company win return.
Perhaps more companies should consider taking this kind of initiative? It seems the best way to ensure that the driver shortage does not become even more acute. It might not be practicable for everyone, but we have certainly found the results to be very positive.
These days the cost of fuel, for obvious reasons, is never very far from my thoughts and! have noticed in the financial press this week a small but significant slip in the value of the pound against the dollar. If this continues are we likely to see another increase in the price of fuel for UK operators, even though the world price remains static? I shall wait and see with great interest.
Over recent weeks we have noticed a slight dip in our customer activity, both with regard to recent experience and in comparison with the same period last year.
I should be interested to know if other companies are experiencing a similar decline with their customers.Throughout the period of political promises prior to the General Election I heard only of the "strong economyfrom the Prime Minister and his colleagues. Yet here we are only a few weeks in to the next administration and already we are being warned of difficult times ahead.
Perhaps the Iron Chancellor has got it a wee bit wrong after all?
Troubles enough
We have troubles enough at this time with the cost of fuel and the problems associated with the Road Transport Directive.A recession,however short-lived, could be the last straw for many of us in the industry. •