Training is often a core part of taking on a new job. But in certain jobs, companies will expect you to have an existing level of knowledge in order to apply. This makes them inaccessible to people who haven’t got the right experience, qualifications or knowledge. Most of the time there is a good reason for this – for example, it takes many years of training to become a doctor, and you don’t want someone learning from scratch on the job! But for others, the skills needed to do the job can be learnt as you go – on the job – or be taught as part of the induction process. And it turns out, LGV driving is one of those skills.
Traditionally a business needing a qualified HGV driver would simply advertise for one. They would be looking for someone who already had the training and qualifications to start right away, and in the past, that wouldn’t have presented much of an issue. However, with the driver shortage in full swing, finding qualified HGV drivers to take on those roles has been much more difficult, which means they need to start looking into new ways of recruiting talent.
This brings us to our first advantage for businesses looking to hire an LGV driver to offer the training. It significantly widens the talent pool when it comes to recruitment. After all, LGV driving is a skill that can be learnt and taught, and while it is being learnt the student can still provide some value to the business. So instead of being limited to the few already qualified LGV drivers, companies could instead look to hire people who are dedicated, reliable and hard-working, but might not be qualified yet. This has the extra bonus of attracting younger talent to the business – people who are going to spend time learning and then stay with your company for many years. Which is ultimately what you want from an employee!
From the employee (and even the supplier) side of things, it makes you look like a much more attractive company. Offering full LGV training to new recruits shows that you are willing to make an investment in them and in their future and that you care about your team. It’s part of the continual development process, which is crucial when hiring millennials (who now make up over 50% of the workforce).
It also helps you grow your business. By offering to train drivers you can hire more drivers sooner, which leads to expansion. Rather than passing up opportunities while you wait for the right driver to come along, you can bring more drivers on board to support your growth plans. This also means you will be able to make other investments into your business future, like buying new machines or equipment, more efficiently, using them to grow your business.
Of course, it’s all too easy to default to thinking of haulage when we’re talking about LGV driving. But the truth is that many other industries rely on LGV drivers too, and each of them could benefit from offering the training in-house as part of the package.
For example, local fire and rescue services have already had some great successes with this model. Several local branches across the country have been offering full LGV training to new recruits who are willing to work part-time or higher. This has led to more new firefighters signing up at each station, and much more efficient service being delivered. It’s a win-win really, as the fire station gets more workers, and the workers get a new skill that they can use in their fill-time work.
Just a few of the other industries that could benefit from offering LGV training to new employees include:
And many more besides. If all of these industries were to offer LGV training to new recruits, the HGV driver shortage could well be a thing of the past. We hope to see this approach catch on in other industries over the next year, and hopefully, we will start to see the burden of the driver shortage reduce. At The HGV Training Centre, we are proud to support these businesses with full HGV and LGV license training, from the basic Driver CPC through to more specialised licenses, enabling thousands of new workers access to employment that would otherwise be inaccessible to them. If you would like to find out more, just get in touch with us today.
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