Case studies

Cumbria hauliers and livestock carriers, Wm Armstrong Group are confidently facing the future thanks to the success of their Driver Apprenticeship scheme. The national shortage of HGV drivers was causing them serious problems, but training their own drivers is growing their workforce and their business.

The foot and mouth crisis of 2001 hit the Longtown-based family-owned company hard. So they switched drivers from livestock to general delivery work and with other like-minded hauliers  established PalletForce - a nation-wide palletised goods distribution  service. This saved jobs and kept the business afloat but the solution was short-lived because when the crisis ended, the shortage of drivers had worsened.

“Livestock drivers were not just a rare breed, they were almost an endangered species,” says Managing Director, Jennifer Whyberd. “Recruiting new HGV drivers is a huge problem - 60,000 are needed nationally and the average age of qualified drivers is 54. So we had to act quickly and creatively to increase driver numbers.”

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Working closely with a local training company System Group they embarked on a Transport Apprenticeship scheme, which employed 6 young people. Just 18 months later 5 are completing the Foundation stage of their Apprenticeship and are out on the road, driving lorries for the Wm Armstrong Group.

Armstrong’s Training Manager Steve Whyberd thinks the scheme is first rate. “The apprentices are highly motivated because most training is on the job. They start with forklift truck driving. At age 17 they take their car-driving test and start local delivery work. At 18 they pass the test for rigid vehicles. Progression then is to the Advanced Apprenticeship, learning to drive our 44 ton articulated vehicles, plus they take the specialised qualification in livestock transportation. Armstrong’s is one of the few companies able to train and assess drivers for this.”

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Apprentice Thomas Pattinson is really enjoying his job. At 18 he is already a qualified, experienced forklift truck driver, has his car licence and was one of the youngest people in the country to pass the Category C Driving qualification for rigid vehicles. He now confidently makes deliveries across Cumbria and the North of England.

“I was a bit worried about the classroom side.” Thomas says. “ There’s a lot to learn about the transport industry, safety and regulations, but classes at System Group are great. We go twice a month and learn from practical materials like tachographs, maps, fuel records and delivery itineraries. Now I’ve got my portfolio of work which shows exactly what I can do and I have just successfully completed the Foundation stage of my Apprenticeship.”

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“My mates think it’s unreal,” he says, “Already I have my own car and travel around doing a really responsible job. My wages go up as I progress with the company. When I’m fully qualified I will be earning between £20,000 and £24,000 per year – not bad for someone under 20!”

“We have just successfully recruited the next group of young Apprentices,” says M.D. Jennifer Whyberd, “Training and developing our own staff is key to our future success. Our collaboration with System Group is providing proper jobs and training for some of Cumbria’s young people and helping meet a national skills shortage. I am really proud that we have not just survived the Foot and Mouth breakout – we have come through with the business on a stronger footing.”