[00:00:07] Hattie Hlad: Welcome back to Driven by Excellence, the podcast where we explore the world of fleet training and the initiatives shaping our industry. I'm your host Hattie and today we're diving into the exciting initiative that's been making waves in the HGV sector, the government funded HGV Skills Bootcamp Programme.
Over the last three years, PDT fleet training has been at the forefront of this initiative, helping over 3, 000 individuals and more than 150 employers upskill their workforce and bridge the driver shortage gap. Joining me today are two experts from PDT Fleet Training, Jack Hicks, the National Skills Bootcamp Manager, and Damian Waszak, the National Employee Liaison. Welcome, Jack and Damian. For those listeners that don't know, we actually all work together, albeit in different divisions, but it's nice to put the laptops away and get you in front of the microphone, thanks for joining me.
[00:01:08] Damian Waszak: Thanks Hats, great to be here.
[00:01:09] Jack Hicks: Absolutely. Thanks for inviting us Hattie, and it's good to be doing something a little bit different.
[00:01:13] Hattie Hlad: Let's start with the basics, Jack. Can you give us an overview of the HGV Skills Bootcamp Initiative? What is it and what are the main goals?
[00:01:21] Jack Hicks: Yeah, absolutely. So the HGV Skills Bootcamp is designed to address the critical shortage of HGV drivers. So this offers training programmes for individuals that are aspiring HGV drivers, people that want to become HGV drivers, but also an opportunity to upskill existing employees within organisations that want to further their career and add an extra qualification to what they have.
[00:01:41] Hattie Hlad: That sounds vital for the industry! Damien, how has PDT Fleet Training contributed to this initiative?
[00:01:47] Damian Waszak: So over the past three years we've delivered the programme to a diverse range of employers, whether delivering to their current employees or new recruits. In that time we've supported over 3, 000 individuals in their journey to becoming HGV drivers and that be whether through upskilling or other training opportunities that we provide.
[00:02:06] Hattie Hlad: Speaking of impact, what does the learner journey look like from start to finish?
[00:02:10] Jack Hicks: The learner journey will start with initial assessment. This assessment will guide where they're at and what sort of training they need and then also ensure that they meet the eligibility for the course. What we'll do then is we'll start the training programme in its full. So we'll start this off by what we call a get to know logistics workshop. So this will give individuals right at the start of the course an opportunity to see where they're at. What the industry looks like, from as simple as, you know, what's an O licence, who are the DVSA, sort of, a little bit of information about what it's like there out on the road as well. So, we'll do that pretty much early on in the course and this will be a good opportunity for them to really think, is this an industry I want to be getting into?
From that, we'll move on and do things like the medicals, we'll help get them set up for theory. So we provide a full theory study system for them, where we give them subscriptions and we can monitor their training and guide them along the way and offer support on how they're doing with their theory study and then once they've gone through all of those elements and we think that they're ready for practical, then we'll get them booked in with one of our trainers and then that trainer will take them through the whole practical journey from start to finish.
So that'll start with initially reverse manoeuvre, what we call a sort of 3A element of the practical training, right through to their practical on the road, passing at the end and I think from our experience within the recruitment sector of our business, and I think we know that this sort of gets the most of the way and we'll get them towards getting a license essentially and then it's over to the employers that we collaborate with then to take them on that next step in implementing them and bringing them into their business and giving them that first taste of being a professional driver on the road.
[00:03:32] Hattie Hlad: Thank you, that sounds like a really hands on approach. How many learners and employers have been successful in completing the bootcamp?
[00:03:40] Damian Waszak: Yes, we've seen some fantastic results since the start of the programme. Over 150 employees have actually benefited from the funding. As we've already mentioned, in that time, more than 3, 000 individuals have been able to gain their HGV licence with us. Now, not only have they been able to gain their HGV licence, but we've then supported them into the industry as qualified HGV drivers with an employer.
[00:04:01] Hattie Hlad: That's fantastic.
Can you share any successful case studies with us?
[00:04:04] Damian Waszak: Yeah, so there's obviously plenty of individual case studies that we can mention here, but I think particularly for me this year, what I think has been a great success to us is the increased engagement we've seen from SMEs and smaller businesses. Now, so this year, the funding structure has changed slightly to allow SMEs to benefit from 90 percent funding, rather than the usual 70 percent funding that companies would see within the bootcamp and this has been great because, as you can imagine, smaller companies and SMEs wouldn't normally have the funds to upskill and develop their workforce, particularly nowadays. So yeah, we're really proud of this, that we've been able to support a great number of SMEs through this programme and now, not only have these logistics companies benefited from this, but SME train and supply chain has also benefited. So the numbers of candidates that we see going through the programme that are being sent across to these training suppliers that provide the HGV training, among other things, we've obviously seen their business increase and their demand increase as a result of the bootcamp.
[00:05:08] Hattie Hlad: That's incredible. Why do you think that PDT has been so successful in gaining positive outcomes for learners?
[00:05:15] Jack Hicks: So I think our success comes from a combination, really, from the training programmes themselves, the strong partnerships we've got with our employers, which I think is absolutely vital and that collaboration approach, and also the support systems we have in place. I mean, we have a full coordination team behind this, which offer guided support for our learners right across the journey, we have a 24 7 support line that they can contact. So if they have got some training scheduled in for early mornings, they don't have to wait for the office to open. Just being able to have a combination of those things and I think I've already mentioned it, but also, I think our experience within the sector and our experience within the recruitment sector to know what people will want to expect from the job element of it and once they pass. So I think a combination of that really.
[00:05:54] Hattie Hlad: No, that's really important.
Can you explain how proactive employers are being in supporting the transition of newly qualified drivers into their businesses? How does this affect their risk and how can they mitigate that?
[00:06:07] Jack Hicks: Do you know what, I think we've got some really great employers and I think having their buy in upfront rather than trying to engage with employers after training is really vital and when I talk about that, I mean more sort of Individuals that come to us looking to become a HGV driver. Of course, if they're upskilling through their existing employer, then they'll already have that engagement, but I think when we've got employers that are willing to meet with these individuals up front, pre screen them, get involved in that sort of element of it, but also then to have induction days along the way and buddy up days and things like that. I think having that employer collaboration approach has been vital.
I think we do still have a slight issue within the industry and by that I mean where we've got employers and logistics companies out there that are still looking to only take on experienced drivers or drivers who have driven I think one of the stats which often comes out is 180 days in the last two years. I think that is still a little bit of an issue for us. I think the sooner sort of those companies are more open to taking on newly qualified drivers will really help. I mean, whilst the average age of a driver has come down slightly, it's still significantly high for the industry. So I think being able to bring on new freshly qualified drivers and for companies to be more open to that, will only be a positive thing for the whole industry going forward.
[00:07:12] Hattie Hlad: So just to follow up from that, in terms of the risk, obviously employers can be concerned in getting new drivers into the business. So what do they do? How could they mitigate that risk?
[00:07:24] Jack Hicks: I think initially we have the conversations up front before we start the programme to say sort of what our expectations are from an employer after the learning journey and after our initial bit because we take them through that program and then we do hand them over to the employer. So I think it's about understanding what our employers are doing next and some of the things that will be involved in there will really be about how they introduce them into the industry. So are they putting them with an experienced driver, with an ambassador of their business that can take them out and guide them along the way for the first couple of weeks. We have some employers that will actually do sort of a four week follow up. So for the first four weeks, they'll do sort of two weeks where they're going out with a buddy, two weeks where they'll then follow another route, and they really get that sort of implementation into the industry, which I think is really key.
Within the training itself, we do a little bit of that along the way. So we do, I think I mentioned before, the buddy days, but where we'll ask the employers to take them out sort of normally quite early on in the course and then maybe a second time later on in the course just so they can go out and see the life of a driver firsthand, see what it's like on the road, the types of things that they encounter and these are all steps along the way where I think one is great for the employer because it's really getting them job ready and it's getting them as ready as they can be to go out and deliver their goods, but I think it's also a great opportunity for the individual themselves because Some of this can be quite a big change for them. We have people who are completely going down a different career path here and a complete different career change. So I think it's a good opportunity for them to really see, is this what I want to be doing for my career going forward? And it's a big move for everybody involved. So I think those are the types of things that we do to sort of minimise risk, if you like.
[00:08:47] Hattie Hlad: What are the benefits of using the bootcamp to upskill staff compared to other training options that are available?
[00:08:53] Jack Hicks: So the bootcamp offers structured government funding programmes that are tailored to the specific needs. I think when you look at things that are comparable, in terms of qualifications and whether if you take HGV out of it and logistics out of it, I think any sort of degree or university or even apprenticeships really, they are studied around a minimum of one to two years and there's a lot of things in there that potentially wouldn't be suitable for a HGV driver or wouldn't be as needed. So I think the way the programme is designed is, I suppose a shortened down version. It's sort of using the time that they've got wisely. So while the training quality remains at a very high standard, it's about getting them through within a good time period. I think we would normally work on around anywhere from 12 to 16 weeks is sort of an average time to get somebody through a qualification, which is absolutely fantastic for an individual, because if you're looking to get to a qualification that you need to further your career, being able to do that in such a short time period is a great benefit. So I think that's one of the things that sort of differentiates it from something else in terms of a learning journey or a qualification. But yeah, I think that would be the main thing that stands out.
[00:09:53] Hattie Hlad: Incredible.
Let's talk about the broader impact of the funding in the industry. How has this affected the HGV sector and what does the future look like?
[00:10:03] Damian Waszak: Yeah, so for me, the funding has been nothing short of game changing. I think especially during a pandemic where we saw how much it helped to alleviate some of those immediate pressures that resulted from the driver shortage. So during a time where logistics was playing a key role in the national recovery, taking that into account, we'd obviously hope to see continued support for the programme and these sort of initiatives moving forward. I think it's also worth mentioning at this point that we do still have an ageing workforce within the industry, the average age of a driver. Our HGV driver is around mid fifty, and so we will need a new cohort of drivers to replace the current one in the future and I think the bootcamp and similar initiatives will help us to ensure that we have qualified drivers ready and able to do so.
[00:10:47] Hattie Hlad: What are the insights on to how long the funding might last?
[00:10:52] Jack Hicks: So I think it is uncertain, but I think while it's uncertain, there's definitely still a strong support within the industry. I think it's taken a little bit of time as well for everybody to be aware. So I think when we look at what we've done so far in our funding years, I think we've partnered with around 30 employers in our first funding year, that rose to over 50 in our second funding year, and I think now we're on to our third, where we're working with over 100 employers. So, I think the appetite is always getting greater. Damien mentioned earlier about the SME marketplace, and I think they were later coming to the table, and that was, one, helped by some of the changes within that and to make it more of an advantage for them. But also, I think it's getting them aware. So I think word is spreading. I think we've got some great case studies out there and I think now people are starting to want to join and join in. So think the appetite is definitely there, I'd urge the government to continue this programme. We do have the aging workforce still there. We need it to reduce down. We still see from our recruitment business and from that recruitment side, we are still struggling for drivers. There is still a shortage, especially when we look at peak demands. We're just going into a peak around now. So that's a key thing for us. So I would say, it's here, we've got a contract at the moment, use it while it's there, for sure, because I think, with government funding, we don't know how long it's going to stay for. So my advice would be, let's use it. But also my advice to the powers that be and the government would be, let's get it here to stay because, it's proven, it's working, we're getting more drivers into the industry, we're slowly bringing the average age of a driver down and I think we've still got a lot of work to do, so yeah.
[00:12:15] Hattie Hlad: Before we wrap up, I mean, I think you've shared some really valuable insights, but for those listeners, especially fleet operators who might not be aware, just like you said, what can we do to get people on board?
[00:12:28] Damian Waszak: So I think Jack summed up perfectly there. I'll encourage all fleet operators to reach out to us and learn more about the bootcamp and how it can benefit your business. There's a lot of uncertainty surrounding the industry at the moment, especially as we move into the new year and I think the bootcamp provides an excellent opportunity to invest in your workforce, continue to grow your business and move things forward.
[00:12:48] Jack Hicks: Yeah, absolutely. I think the benefits are clear. We're here to support every step of the way. I think this is a chance to enhance your team and secure your operation, so get involved!
[00:12:58] Hattie Hlad: Thank you both so much for joining me today and sharing these valuable insights. It's clear that the HGV Skills Bootcamp is making significant impact and I hope more operators will take advantage of this opportunity.
[00:13:10] Jack Hicks: Thanks Hattie.
[00:13:10] Damian Waszak: Thank you.
[00:13:11] Hattie Hlad: So you heard it here first, get involved or potentially miss out on the funding to upskill or enhance your HGV driver workforce and the government, a message directly for you, make HGV Skills Bootcamp long term, the job isn't done yet!
Thanks for tuning into this episode of Driven by Excellence. We hope you enjoyed listening and if you did, please don't forget to click that follow button, leave us a review or share this episode with a colleague. For more information and to keep up to date with industry news, head to our website pdtfleettrainingsolutions. co. uk