You may be looking for a company to help you move house but are you looking for a new career opportunity as well? Scania has just launched a new campaign to attract more LGV drivers because of predictions of a major shortfall in driver numbers by 2020. According to Skills for Logistics, there are likely to be 120,000 less LGV drivers than are needed in Britain in 15 years’ time.
Initiative Launched
The new initiative, called Road to Work, aims to give drivers of the future the skills they will need to be successful in the industry and to become valuable assets for employers. The scheme will assist those looking for work to get an LGV licence and help them access financial support from government schemes that already exist. Scania is also liaising with other partners within the industry in a bid to single out people who are already in employment but may wish to make a move from what they are currently doing to a new challenge as an LGV driver.
Mark Agnew, the driver services manager for Scania Great Britain, said that urgent action is needed to address what will be a severe driver shortfall. He added that Road to Work was designed to offer flexibility and to also help clients recruit apprentices who go on to acquire their LGV licences. It is a way to develop drivers who can then join the workforce, he said.
Mr Agnew explained that Scania’s recruitment partners work alongside appointed contractors and government agencies to assess people wishing to join the programme in order to only select the best possible candidates. These people are then given the training by Scania in order to enable them to obtain their rigid truck category c licence. He added that government schemes were in place to carry out assessments of job seekers and to identify candidates who may be suitable for a Road to Work place. There is also the opportunity in some cases to gain funding for this, he said.
Road To Work Programme
The Road to Work programme was initially launched to more than 300 customers in the summer and work has now begun to implement the scheme. Mr Agnew said that the industry now requires drivers with more than just a relevant licence. He said it needed individuals who were both technologically-sound and aware of the importance of fuel efficiency as well as the needs and functions of the business they work for. He added that the role of a driver had altered radically over the past half a decade and is likely to change once again over the next five years.
Once qualified and experienced, however, it seems like an ideal time to enter the driving profession. A potentially critical shortage of drivers over the next 15 years will ensure that there are many opportunities for good quality drivers who enter the industry now. The Road to Work programme offers the opportunity to gain the necessary qualifications and will undoubtedly open the door to future prospects.