Driver Training Provider TIR to Provide TA Soldiers With Driving Qualifications

Specialist logistics and driver training provider TIR Training Services Limited is to deliver Driving Goods Vehicles NVQs to TA soldiers as part of a pilot project with the Territorial Army.

Deflog VQ Trust, the educational charitable trust that provides logistic training to the Regular Armed Forces, is funding the training, which will see 10 members of 150 (Yorkshire) Transport Regiment work towards an NVQ in driving goods vehicles at a training area at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, on Sunday, March 21, 2010.

Although TIR is owned by Deflog and run on the same not-for-profit lines, it is the commercial wing of the business and usually trains drivers for large logistics companies, local authorities and transport firms, as well as individuals preparing for a career in driving.

Tim Watson, Sales & Marketing Manager of TIR, said: “We’re used to training drivers of all ages, from 18 upwards, and from all kinds of backgrounds, but this will be the first time we’ve worked with the military.

“However, in practice it won’t be any different from our commercial training. Preparing a driver for mission-critical work demands the same high standards and attention to detail as training someone to work in a commercially sensitive role.

“It’s great for us to broaden our portfolio like this, but it’s also brilliant for the part-time soldiers as they’ll end up with a qualification and experience that will be very valuable to both their civilian employers and the Army.”

Deflog VQ Trust trains members of the regular Army but cannot train the TA because there is no scope for the part-time soldiers to undertake work-based learning. They are expected instead to receive training and qualifications from their civilian employers.

Deflog, which grants bursaries and donations for projects and training, therefore launched the pilot scheme to fund 10 TA soldiers’ training with TIR.

Neil Searle, Research and Development Manager for Deflog, who also manages the Deflog Foundation which distributes charitable funding, said: “Not all TA members have jobs, so for some there is no other way for them to receive work-based training and qualifications.

“Another benefit of this pilot is that a lot of the NVQ qualification involves assessment of what the soldiers already know – in this case their competence as a professional driver; it proves they’re doing things correctly or reveals where remedial action may need to be taken. It puts people on the right track and it’s especially important from a health and safety point of view, as TA drivers will have to operate complex and potentially dangerous vehicles.

“For many of the TA members, this may be the first qualification they’ve ever achieved. As a result it will serve as a boost to their confidence and make them receptive to further training as they will have already proven to themselves that they are achievers.”

NVQ assessors will attend the training exercise at Catterick and gather evidence of the soldiers’ driving skills, which will count towards their NVQ qualification along with video evidence, managers’ testimonies and question-and-answer sessions.

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