FORS, the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme, has said its FORS Practitioner programme has been one of the scheme’s greatest successes after the highly regarded course of fleet management training modules celebrates its 10th anniversary.
Since the first FORS Practitioners completed their initial courses in April 2012, over 2800 individual transport professionals have gone on to graduate; each equipped with a comprehensive fleet management knowledge base allowing them to deliver safety and commercial benefits in the workplace. Over the same period, FORS has delivered over 45,000 individual FORS Practitioner training modules.
Popularity of the FORS Practitioner programme among fleet managers remains high with 20 new FORS Practitioners achieving full qualification in March alone.
With the programme subject to continuous improvement, the 10th anniversary signals the next phase in its development. Plans are at an advanced stage to revise training content and to ensure alignment with the forthcoming version 6 of The FORS Standard. Amendments to the structure of the qualification are also being finalised to introduce greater flexibility to meet the increasingly diverse requirements of fleet managers.
Today, FORS Practitioner training is delivered in ten half-day units, providing a complete package of fleet management learning, including managing work related road risk, safe and efficient fleet utilisation, reducing fuel use and minimising fines and charges. Recent pandemic restrictions have meant that FORS Practitioner training was forced to shift online; a move which proved popular with its greater reach to individuals and will remain in place for the foreseeable future.
Individuals may complete the ten workshops in any order and at a pace that suits them, with each session counting as 2.5 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours – taking part in all ten workshops equates to three complete days of CPD training.
Many of those early FORS Practitioners remain active today and are still dispensing invaluable fleet management know-how within fleet operations across the UK. Among the very first FORS Practitioners was Glen Davies, who remains part of FORS as the scheme’s Technical Advisor.
“The FORS Practitioner model has certainly developed over the last decade,” he said, “but the core principle of delivering professional, detailed and up-to-date training across the key aspects of fleet management remains in place. A fully-qualified FORS Practitioner is an asset to any fleet operation – indeed, I have seen ‘FORS Practitioner’ as a prerequisite on many job advertisements and LinkedIn profiles. I’m very proud that the programme is so highly regarded. It’s certainly one of the scheme’s greatest successes.
“In modern fleet operations,” he added, “people need opportunities to build their knowledge, skills and experience. Over the past 10 years FORS Practitioner has provided a structured, practical and methodical approach to continuing professional development in fleet management. It has developed as a defined series of training modules that cover a wide range of topical issues; from writing policies to managing road risk, minimising environmental impact and analysing data to achieve operational efficiency.”
