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Government aims to ease driver shortage
Page 49
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• A new move to help overcome the shortage of heavy goods vehicle drivers — as many as 80,000 new drivers may soon be needed every year — has been announced by the Government.
The Department of Employment's Training Opportunities Scheme is to take over the operations at present carried out jointly by the Department and the Road Transport Industry Training Board.
Announcing this in the Commons last week, Mr Robert Chichester-Clark, Minister of State for Employment, emphasized that the main responsibility for training hgv drivers would continue to rest with the industry itself.
The Training Opportunities Scheme aimed to meet the needs of individuals and was not intended to supplant the training activities of employers.
Outlining the various forms of training which were available, Mr Chichester-Clark said courses varied from one to four weeks in length and the cost of training was generally about £80 to £100 a week.
He added that his Department had maintained close liaison on future requirements for drivers with the RTITB.
The Board estimated that because of the high turnover in this occupation about 50,000 additional drivers were needed annually at the present time, and that the demand for new drivers might rise to 60,000 to 80,000 a year after January 11976.
The FTA said this week that it welcomes the proposals which follows suggestions made by the Association two years ago.