The Driver Academy Group, a consortium led by HGV training specialist HGVC, has secured a record number of women and ethnically diverse trainees for its second round of Government-funded HGV driver training courses. The Driver Academy Group comprises workforce solutions group Manpower and trade body Logistics UK, alongside HGVC.
Since launching the extending scheme in April, more than 7% of the trainees are women. This proportion is significantly more than the 1% of women who are HGV drivers in the UK. In addition, more than 25% of trainees are Black, Asian, or from other ethnically diverse groups. Currently, just 4% of HGV drivers are from ethnically diverse backgrounds.
James Clifford, CEO of HGVC, said: “The HGV driving industry has typically struggled to recruit from ethnically diverse groups and women. However, the Government-based HGV Driving Skills Bootcamps show that those from underrepresented groups do want to become HGV drivers. The job is appealing, they just needed help with funding the training course.
“We will now be working hard to get these trainees onto the right training scheme and into an interview with a local employer. In doing so, we hope that we can continue to diversity the industry and make HGV driving more appealing to a broader range of people.”
The Skills Bootcamps in HGV Driving are open to anyone with a car license aged 19 and over. These Skills Bootcamps in HGV Driving were extended in April this year for a further year. The training courses are available at 60 locations across the country. The flexible programme helps people build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with a local employer. The Skills Bootcamps are part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee, helping everyone gain skills for life. The Department for Education funds the scheme. Interested employers and candidates can apply here: www.hgv.academy.
Within the extended scheme, the Driver Academy Group will deliver 1,300 partially funded courses for employers. These offer employers a 70% contribution to HGV driver training through the DfE funding. In addition, HGVC will offer 860 fully funded courses aimed at individual candidates.
