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T hroughout his 30 years in the industry, Ron Webb, the

2nd November 2000
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

T&G's national secretary for road transport, has never known it like this. With rising fuel prices squeezing

competitiveness, just-in-time deliveries throwing schedules into turmoil, the Working Time Directive looming and the growth of computerised navigation systems, there is no future for the industry without improved terms and conditions for drivers, who are increasingly expected to be trained in non. core areas.

At the same time about 360,000 HGV licences are held by people who are not working in the industry, and there is a massive trend towards early retire

ment among experienced drivers worn out by punishing schedules: "There are qualified drivers out there, but they're not in this industry." says Webb.

At the last Transport Forum the government agreed to establish a working group to look at labour and skill shortages in the industry. The government said it would not reduce the price of diesel or V ED. but would look at the industry through a magnifying glass to see how to help it become more competitive.

The working party, under the leadership of Lord Whitty, will comprise representatives from the T&G, the RHA and FTA. It will oversee the review of skills training and recruitment as part of the to-year transport plan.

At present there are few government grants available specifi

cally for drivers, because it is not seen as a skilled occupation. Twenty years ago this might have been the case: you just got into a truck and drove it from A to B. But today's drivers need to be trained in areas of IT and legislation if companies are to remain competitive, and a coherent training strategy is crucial if the industry's recruitment problem is to be addressed.

Dave Green runs Wacihurst College for the FTA. He believes the skills shortage will get worse because of the lack of young people coming into the industry. "This is mainly because of the age limits involved," he says. "You can't get a licence before you are 2.1, and you can't get a job before 25 because nobody will insure you until then.

"Companies can't take people from school so they have to try to attract people who already have a job—and it's just not seen as a very attractive industry."

lervestrnent

Most investment in driver training goes on the HGV test, and companies are not prepared to pay for this.

"Historically people would have paid their own way," says Green. "It would have cost them about koo for a Class i licence, which would allow them to drive any HGV. Now it can cost1750 to take a C test to drive a rigid truck, and the same again to get the C and E, which entitles you to drive an articulated HGV. On top of this there are the costs for compulsory theory training."

Ian Hetherington, chief executive of the Road Haulage and Distribution Training Council, adds: "All driver training used to be subsidised when the government offered training tax relief. If individuals paid they would get the tax back through their training operators. This amounted to a 25% discount. Now it's a very grim picture indeed."

The RHDTC is the appointed training organisation for the road haulage and distribution sector in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The government provides training assistance for individuals following two paths. Individual Learning Accounts are provided by the Department for Education and Employment (DIEE) through local Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs). These will provide a Li5o subsidy towards any vocational training programme. Hetherington says this amount money is "pathetically small", al blames the TECs for spendi about 25% of their funds administration.

"Very few drivers apply for t subsidy because it is not very w understood," he says. Ar although employers can encoi age enrolment, the programme aimed at the individual.

Apprenticeships

An emerging route for )out people is through Mode Apprenticeships, but m( employers have not even heard them. The Young Drive Scheme, run by the RHA, p mits individuals of 18 to take t HGV test for a Category C ye de provided they follow a forn training course and assessme until they are 21. But this expensive, and is unpopular w the public on the grounds safety. In the past it was sm companies that took it up, I larger companies are beginni to do so.

The next category of supp falls under the New Deal bani for the unemployed. The gove ment has made much of t initiative, which aims to get the unemployed trained and into work. In the next four years it will spend 13.5bn on programmes for school leavers and for unemployed people over the age of 25. This will provide between go and £75 a month for six months towards the wages of new employees, and /75o towards their training.

Any employers who are prepared to meet the eligibility conditions can participate, providing they give the employees 15 days' training in the first eight weeks and can offer them at least 12 months' work.

If they are interested in taking on an employee through New Deal, employers should contact their local employment office where they will be allocated an adviser. So far about roo,000 companies have gone down this route, but it is not popular with hauliers.

Disappointment

"Very few hauliers have got involved with New Deal, because there are so few people on it. Even expanding it to over-25s, the numbers are very limited, so it's been a huge disappointment to employers," says Hetherington. "Neither option has produced a significant input of people."

There are also local Training for Work schemes, again run by TECs, but because of a shortage of professional trainers the provision of driver training is restricted to 12 centres around

the country, and Hetherington says it is "patchy".

These are almost the only routes available for funding driver training. "We have to develop a new strategy," says Hetherington. "People these days don't just want someone who has just passed the test—they want someone properly trained. The present position is unacceptable. We need an investment approach from employers, and a careers struc

ture. The answer will not lie solely with government funding."

With the support of the DfEE and the DOT, the RHDTC is putting together a set of national standards that will define driver competency as the first stage in a programme that seeks to develop a training structure for drivers. "We are trying to get a formalised handle on the problem. There's a huge amount of research going on, and we'll be coming up with some proposals towards the end of the year," says Hetherington.

"Understandably, the fuel crisis has occupied people's minds, but if you take a long look at the industry, skills gaps are a more structural problem, because out of long-term skills shortages come higher wage demands," he adds.

"The industry is growing by 6% a year," says Ron Webb. "We need to attract young people, but they are looking for proper qualifications, and we haven't got the skilled trainers to provide training in non-core subjects such as health and safety, tacho regulations and IT.

Government

"The Working Party will look at how the government can help us solve this problem in terms of money," he adds. It will also investigate the need for regional centres of excellence dedicated to HGV driver training."

The agenda for the Working Party has not yet been determined. Its terms of reference will be outlined at the next Transport Forum Meeting.


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