TRAINING
KEEP ON
TRUCKING
Valuable step – Stockton Riverside College ’ s logistics team leader Phil Dorn .
D
Collaboration is proving the key to helping solve the logistics crisis
ale Williams didn ’ t imagine he would be retraining for a new career at 51 . Despite having always liked the idea of becoming a truck driver , he figured he had probably missed the boat .
Today , Dale is one of 10 learners training to be LGV drivers on a bespoke course at Stockton Riverside College .
He said : “ It has opened my eyes to the industry and now I know this is definitely what I want to do .”
The Routeways to LGV Driver Training course is the latest initiative in the college ’ s drive to help plug the skills gaps and promote careers in logistics .
The course has been developed in collaboration with logistics employers , Prestons of Potto and PD Ports .
With funding from the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority , it ’ s the first of two programmes to run , with the second cohort due to start in February 2022 .
The eight-week employer-led programme will give the students the knowledge , skills and licences they need to enter the industry , as well as a guaranteed interview .
While 10 more qualified drivers on the road might not solve the driver crisis , the college ’ s logistics team leader , Phil Dorn , said it ’ s a valuable step in the right direction .
Exploring a range of ways to support the wider sector ’ s skills and training needs , Phil said : “ Driver shortages might have been a hot topic in the headlines recently but the skills demand in the industry is something we have been looking at for a number of years .”
In fact , the college launched a Career Ready Logistics Academy in 2015 , working with the then chairman of the Road Haulage Association and a former PD Ports director , Jim French , to raise young people ’ s awareness of careers in the sector .
Since then , as part of the Education Training Collective ( Etc .), the college group ’ s efforts have grown , leading to the establishment of the Tees Valley Logistics Academy , which now incorporates the North East School of Shipping , and helps to ensure strong working links with industry employers .
Prestons of Potto ’ s health and safety and training manager , Iain Dailey , said : “ After the 1980s and the ‘ 90s there seems to have been a gap of about 10 years of fresh blood coming into the industry .”
This , along with an ageing workforce , and the “ unglamorous ” reputation of the sector , has contributed to the current and emerging skills gaps – but as we all now know , this is essential work . As Iain said : “ Products will always need to be transported , it is a necessity . Without trucks , and
134 | Tees Business