The skills bootcamp is being run by the Department for Education (DfE) and was first launched in December 2021.
Waste and recycling firms of all sizes can sign up to the programme which features flexible courses of up to 16 weeks at 60 locations.
For businesses with fewer than 250 employees, the bootcamp is 90% funded with employers paying the remaining 10%. For larger organisations the split is 70% to 30%.
New recruits who are yet to sign employment contracts can access the courses for free.
DfE has said that its early figures from this quarter show an increase in sign-ups, with five waste and recycling firms having trained a total of ten drivers between July and September this year.
Chronic shortage of HGV drivers
James Clifford, CEO of HGV training facility HGVC where the scheme is run, said: “For many years, UK employers have struggled with a chronic shortage of HGV drivers.
“An ageing driver population and stiff competition for skilled drivers has made it really challenging for many Waste and Recycling firms – and the cost of training was proving to be a real barrier for young people wanting to enter the profession.
“While things have improved since the launch of the Skills Bootcamps, there is still a need for more HGV drivers in the UK, and it’s great to see that more firms in the Waste & Recycling sector are learning about the opportunities that the Skills Bootcamps can offer them.”
Joe Neill, operations manager at Windsor Waste Management, one of the firms that secured a place on a Skills Bootcamp for HGV Driving in October, added: “A shortage of skilled drivers makes it hard for our business to meet demand, but training new drivers through the Skills Bootcamps is very easy and cost-effective. It’s a great scheme that has opened doors for people who would otherwise not have been able to enter the industry. Knowing that we can maintain our driver workforce allows us to focus on delivering for our customers.”
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