The Business and Innovation Department has approved a new Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) apprenticeship Trailblazer scheme.
Trailblazers refer to Apprenticeship Standards set by groups of employers who come together – in this case from the transport industry. Until recently there were a little more than 10 such Apprenticeships available, though LGV was not among them.
The news of its addition came on Friday of last week – just days after The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) had warned of the potential for major repercussions this Christmas due to a lack of drivers.
We’re not saying these two independent developments are related, but there is no denying the fact that the introduction of an apprenticeship scheme will be key to ensuring the future sustainability of the transport industry. Hopefully this will be enough to allay future crises such as the one currently being highlighted by the REC.
In response to the news, FTA Skills Development Manager Sally Gilson, said: “It was vitally important for the freight and logistics sector that quality training for HGV Drivers was recognised and that a formal route existed for young people to come into the role.”
Also commenting, RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said: “The approval of an LGV apprenticeship Trailblazer scheme is certainly a step in the right direction, but we need bold strides if we are to tackle the driver shortage.”
All in all it’s not been a bad week for the transport industry as we also learned that drivers took home an inflation-busting above-average 3.2% pay rise this year. This compares with average wage rises in all sectors of 1.8% according to the Office for National Statistics as reported on the Motor Transport website.
What a difference a few days makes! Only Friday we were looking ahead with some trepidation. Now – there are real signs of green shoots of rejuvenation with the prospect of an easier route into the industry for young drivers. It’s not a magic bullet but it certainly fills us with more optimism – or is that just the Christmas cheer starting to kick in!?
The Microlise Driver of the Year awards aim to recognise the UK’s most talented HGV drivers – acknowledging the vital work they do and the professionalism with which they carry out their work.
