The Urban Driver Apprenticeship standard is now available for training drivers after the Secretary of Education agrees to the £5000 funding requested by the Logistics Industry Trailblazer Group.
In June 2021, we were pleased to tell our employer clients that the Government had agreed to increase funding for the LGV Apprenticeship Standard to £7000. The increased funding means the standard now includes the acquisition of the Cat C+E licence, as well as Cat C. So since 1st August, employers have no longer had to cover the costs of Cat C+E training themselves.
Delay in launch due to funding standstill
Logistics companies celebrated this news. However, many employers do not require their staff to have Cat C+E licences, only Cat C. With their drivers gaining their Cat C+E licence as part of the LGV Apprenticeship Standard, despite not needing it, the risk was obvious. In other words, these overqualified staff would leave for higher paid jobs as Cat C+E vehicle drivers.
As a result of work by the BAR, the BMF, the RHA and the rest of the Logistics Industry Trailblazer Group, a new Urban Driver Apprenticeship Standard was developed to include only Cat C licence acquisition. Disappointingly, however, the level of funding suggested by the Institute of Apprenticeships and Technical Information (IfATE) wasn’t enough to make the delivery of this standard by apprenticeship providers viable. Therefore, the standard was not available for employers to use until now.
Funding approval
We are delighted to announce that after intensive lobbying by the Logistics Industry Trailblazer Group, the Secretary of State for Education has chosen to set the funding band for the standard at £5,000 as requested by the group. This much-needed standard is now published and available for delivery.
What does this mean for logistics companies?
Employers who need to train drivers to have their Cat C licence can now fund this through the Urban Driver Apprenticeship Standard. On the other hand, employers who need drivers with Cat C+E licences can use the LGV Driver Apprenticeship Standard. TRS Training deliver both these apprenticeship standards. To find out more, please complete the form on our Contact page
