Say YES to a new career in HGVs

HGV training specialist HGVC is working with Youth First CIO, a London-based charity that helps young people get into work, to give disadvantaged young people the skills they need to train as HGV drivers.

With HGVC, Youth First will create an HGV career pathway within its Youth Employment Scheme (YES), initially for 15 disadvantaged young people aged 17-19 over a year.

The scheme is for those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds in Lewisham.

Such people will benefit the most but often need greater support to overcome complex domestic situations and the pull of negative peer influences.

Together with HGVC’s HGV driving course, the YES will provide the structure and the skills these young people need to train to become HGV drivers. The scheme will also help to plug the driver gap that is impacting businesses across the capital.

Young people do not often consider HGV driving as a career, even though HGV driver salaries typically start on around £32,000 a year, which can rise to £40,000 plus after a few years’ experience.

In addition, a further barrier to getting into the industry is that HGV training courses often require trainees to already have a driving licence.

The HGV career pathway overcomes these issues by helping 17- to 19-year-olds gain a driving licence while preparing them for the world of work.

Employers who need HGV drivers can apply to HGVC and Youth First to help fund the scheme and gain potential HGV drivers upon completion.

In addition, HGVC and Youth First are appealing to London-based employers who would like to support young people in Lewisham through their corporate social responsibility initiatives.

James Clifford, chief executive of HGVC, said: “The average age of an HGV driver is around 50 years old.

“The YES helps overcome a significant barrier to getting young people into the industry around the need to already have a driving license.

“What’s more, we’re delighted to do what we can to support a scheme which aims to help young, disadvantaged people who may come from difficult domestic environments and often face peer pressure to choose a less desirable path in life.”

Mervyn Kaye, chief executive at Youth First, said: “Our programmes give younger people based in Lewisham, the skills and resilience to stick to education and prepare for working life.

“When the country is crying out for younger HGV drivers, our driving career pathway will help us train young people in rewarding
careers while helping reduce the chance of later long-term unemployment.”

 

Picture: Unsplash