Dale didn’t imagine he would be retraining for a new career at 51.

Despite having always liked the idea of becoming a truck driver, he figured he had probably missed the boat.

Today, Dale is one of 10 learners training to be LGV drivers on a bespoke course at Stockton Riverside College. He said: “It has opened my eyes to the industry and now I know this is definitely what I want to do.”

The Routeways to LGV Driver Training course is the latest initiative in the college’s drive to help plug the skills gaps and promote careers in logistics.

The course has been developed in collaboration with logistics employers, Prestons of Potto and PD Ports.

With funding from the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority, it’s the first of two programmes to run, with the second cohort due to start in February 2022.

The eight-week employer led programme will give the students the knowledge, skills and licences they need to enter the industry, as well as a guaranteed interview.

While 10 more qualified drivers on the road might not solve the driver crisis, the college’s logistics team leader, Phil Dorn, said it is a valuable step in the right direction.

Exploring a range of ways to support the wider sector’s skills and training needs, Phil said: “Driver shortages might have been a hot topic in the headlines recently but the skills demand in the industry is something we have been looking at for a number of years.”

In fact, the college launched a Career Ready Logistics Academy in 2015, working with the then chairman of the RHA and a former PD Ports’ director, Jim French, to raise young people’s awareness of careers in the sector.

Since then, as part of the Education Training Collective (Etc.), the college group’s efforts have grown, leading to the establishment of the Tees Valley Logistics Academy, which now incorporates the North East School of Shipping, and helps to ensure strong working links with industry employers.

Prestons of Potto’s health and safety and training manager, Iain Dailey, said: “After the 80s and the 90s there seems to have been a gap of about 10 years of fresh blood coming into the industry.”

This, along with an aging workforce, and the “unglamorous” reputation of the sector, has all contributed to the current and emerging skills gaps, but as we all now know, this is essential work.

As Iain said: “Products will always need to be transported, it is a necessity.  Without trucks, and drivers, we don’t get all the everyday essentials we see around us.”

It’s not just drivers, there’s a whole infrastructure of jobs working in the background, ensuring the goods make it to our tables.

After 24 years in the industry, including being a driver himself, Iain knows logistics can offer jobs for life. This is why he, Prestons of Potto and PD Ports, are happy to get actively involved in the Routeways course, helping potential future drivers to build an understanding of the industry, know what to expect and enable them to grasp key employability skills specific to the sector.

To make sure the group knows exactly what they are signing up for, they were thrust straight into two-day industry placements, to make sure LGV driving is for them.

Far from being deterred, working alongside drivers at Prestons of Potto, Dale said: “It made me realise that this could be the future for me.”

Gaining an understanding of how to work with EU regulations, carry out pre-vehicle checks, load securing and paperwork, the former SSI worker said: “I learnt so much and the drivers were so willing to share their knowledge and experience.” 

Gavin also stepped up to the challenge. Hoping this will be the start of a whole new career for him, a big change after previously being a support worker, he said: “My dad was a truck driver and so I feel I have got a good idea of what the life is like.”

It was his dad that suggested Gavin consider the industry. The 42-year-old added: “I think that planted a seed and now here I am.”

Spending his placement at PD Ports, he said: “The early start came as a bit of a shock but the drivers were all brilliant.”

Pleased to see the delegates grasping the opportunity ahead of them, and glad to be able to tackle the driver shortage, even in a very small way, Stockton Riverside College’s Phil Dorn said: “For us, this is what it is all about. We passionately believe this type of collaboration is the way forward.  The enthusiasm of the employers and the learners has been fantastic.”

To find out more about the Routeways to LGV Driver Training course at Stockton Riverside College, or to get involved contact: Phil.Dorn@stockton.ac.uk