A Shropshire-based company is highlighting its success in getting more HGV drivers on the road, thanks to the support of fully-funded courses.
Dulson Training has an ongoing contract to offer free HGV and ADR training for individuals or 90% subsidised training for SME employers looking to upskill their staff - a service the company can deliver as a prime Government Skills Bootcamp provider, one of only a handful nationwide.
The programme is aimed at tackling the HGV driver shortage and offers an end-to-end programme lasting up to 16 weeks with minimal time away from other commitments - covering everything from enrolment to starting a professional driving career with all the necessary skills and qualifications.
Steve Dulson, of Dulson Training, said: “The Skills Bootcamp has proved very successful and the attraction of free training has resulted in us being able to assist many newly-qualified HGV drivers onto the road and into a new career.
“It is important to stress that these funded courses are still available and we would love to hear from anyone thinking of taking up HGV driving as a profession.
“We understand that the cost of training has proved to be prohibitive for many people but the Skills Bootcamp programme takes that stress out of the situation and allows the trainee to concentrate purely on passing the course. 
“The Skills Bootcamp is aimed at filling the vacancies that still exist with the UK driver shortage and while it is true that this shortage has eased to some extent, it is believed that it will start to spike again - a situation we are hoping to avoid with initiatives like this, a popular route for the industry, employers and trainees.”
Operations director Hayley Norgrove, who is heading up the project, said: “The programme includes, enrolment, medical, new skills, driver training, theory tests, driving test, Driver CPC and employer engagement to find a suitable role.
“Anyone can apply whether they are unemployed, employed or self-employed. The only stipulation is that the applicant must hold a full UK driving licence, is aged 19 or over and living in England or border towns - it is a tremendous opportunity to gain a Cat C or C+E licence through fully-funded training.
“Support is also available for employers with staff members to upskill, the same training can be provided with a 90% subsidy for a SME or 70% contribution for an enterprise business with a turnover of £50m or having more than 250 employees.”
One of the successful candidates taking advantage of the HGV Skills Bootcamp programme delivered by Dulson Training is Mitchell Fellows who passed his Car to Cat C+E (Class 1) first time with only one driving fault.
He said: “The fully-funded HGV Skills Bootcamp is a great idea and without the free training I am sure many people would be unable to realise their ambition of becoming qualified to drive HGVs. It makes such a positive difference to your thinking if you are seriously considering driver training options.
“The team at Dulson Training were excellent throughout my course and could not have been more helpful, with everyone totally committed to ensuring that I had the very best chance of passing.
“Each stage of the programme was professionally delivered and my trainer always made sure the learning curve was a pleasurable experience, while also very keen to pass on his extensive knowledge and expertise for my benefit.
“I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the programme to anyone looking at a change of career to driving - the Skills Bootcamp fully-funded training offer makes it a no-brainer, really.”
For more information about fully-funded driver training, visit https://www.dulsontraining.co.uk/ or call 01952 770659.
Pictured: Mitchell Fellows passed his test first time under the HGV Skills Bootcamp programme
