At HGVC, we’re at the forefront of the battle against the ongoing HGV driver shortage and today we’re pleased to announce that we’ve won a lead role in a Government-funded scheme to train and place over 2,000 new drivers in positions right the way across England.

As the leader of the Driver Academy Group, a consortium that includes Logistics UK and Manpower, we will be bringing our considerable combined expertise to support and upskill candidates in a sector that desperately needs them via Government-backed Skills Bootcamps across the country.

Flexible Courses Lasting Up to 16 Weeks

The HGV driving Skills Bootcamps will last up to 16 weeks, allowing candidates the necessary time to develop sector-specific skills and then subsequently be fast-tracked to interviews with employers in their local area. What this does is address one of the primary barriers to those wanting to enter the sector – cost.

At our 100+ training centres across the UK, we will be overseeing training for 750+  new drivers in England and hundreds more will be upskilled to obtain ADR qualifications that allow them to drive hazardous and critical vehicles like petrol tankers. Further to this, in excess of 2,000 refresher courses are being provided to lapsed drivers.

Open to Anyone Over 19 With a Driving Licence

These Bootcamps are already live, with applications able to be made by visiting www.hgv.academy and the only criteria required is to be at least 19 years of age and have a valid car licence. We are keen to encourage underrepresented groups, as well as the unemployed and ex-offenders to apply.

Every successful applicant will be booked onto the next available course, with the aim being to get them in place and driving as soon as is safely possible. Once qualified, drivers can look forward to earning an annual salary in excess of £40k or even more when talking about dangerous goods drivers.

A Tried & Trusted Approach

We’re very proud of our involvement in tackling this critical issue and our CEO James Clifford had this to say “Cost is a major barrier to entry for those looking to become HGV drivers so this new funding from the Department for Education will make an impact.

We have a tried and tested approach to managing HGV driver training that has resulted in thousands of new drivers getting good HGV jobs in the UK. Our pass rates are around 80%, which is significantly higher than the national average”.

Companies Can Get 70% of Cost Met

In addition to funding individuals, the government scheme also allows companies looking to upskill existing drivers to get 70% of the scheme’s cost met. As part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee, the Skills Bootcamps are funded directly from the Department for Education.

Any companies wanting to apply for funding can do so by sending a quick email to info@hgvc.co.uk.

Playing a Major Role In Getting Britain Moving

At HGVC, we’ve been offering scalable industry-leading HGV licence acquisition programs for many years and this latest development is a demonstration of our ongoing commitment to helping tackle the current HGV driver shortage in the UK.

If you would like to know more about us and how we do things, please take a look around our website where you’ll find everything you need to know. Alternatively, to discuss anything mentioned here or your driver training needs, call us today on 0330 818 8888 or send us a message via our ‘contact us’ link.