Approval for HGV Driver Trailblazer Apprenticeship: “Our hard work has paid off” says RHA
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) (@RHANews) has welcomed the approval from the Business and Innovation Department (BIS) (@bisgovuk) for an LGV apprenticeship Trailblazer scheme but is pressing for confirmation that the scheme will cover the cost of licence acquisition.
RHA chief executive Richard Burnett (@RHARichardB) said: “The approval of the LGV apprenticeship scheme is good news and a victory for our campaigning and lobbying work. However, it is essential that the apprenticeship includes the costs of licence acquisition. After all, licence acquisition lies at the very core of training new lorry drivers. An LGV apprenticeship that doesn’t cover the cost of the licence is like having a truck without an engine. At this stage, it’s just not clear if licence acquisition is covered by the scheme so we’ll be pressing this issue with ministers in the coming days.
“The approval of an LGV apprenticeship Trailblazer scheme is certainly a step in the right direction, but we need bold strides if we are to tackle the driver shortage.”
While the RHA welcomes this new scheme, it will continue in its lobbying efforts for government to make £150m available, to be paid direct to hauliers so that they can fund the training for the new drivers that the industry so desperately needs.
