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First graduates from new NVQ training course for Leicester taxi driversOver 50 local taxi drivers have successfully graduated from a new training course at Leicester College Members of the RMT Leicester Taxi Drivers Branch have successfully completed an award winning innovative new training programme. The first graduates of a new NVQ* training course for local taxi drivers were awarded their certificates at a major official ceremony, held at the National Space Centre in Leicester on Learning at Work Day 2008. 51 drivers successfully qualified for the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 2 in Road Passenger Transport, following completion of their training at Leicester College.
The work-based pilot scheme for taxi drivers in Leicester was created to help city-based taxi drivers develop their skills and knowledge, and gain a nationally-recognised qualification. The six-month training course included sessions on the Disability Discrimination Act, personal safety, customer services and the provision of tourist information on the city. Places on the course were free to eligible drivers in the city. The qualification is equivalent to five GCSEs at grades A-C. The hard work and determination of Julie Freeston (Rail Union Learning) and Dave Hubbard (unionlearn) ensured that union members were given the chance to enrol onto the first round of the course. The RMT Branch was one of the key partners in driving forward this initiative, providing information to drivers and recruiting them on to the scheme. Kashmir Singh, Branch Secretary for RMT stated 'I spoke to as many drivers as possible, explaining to them that this course was something we all should do. I really enjoyed the course and found it very helpful, some things it covered was health and safety issues around loading and unloading a wheelchair and safety tips from the Police including speed awareness and raising your hand to acknowledge passengers and notify road users when stopping".
In April 2008, Patricia Hewitt MP for Leicester West visited Leicester College to meet taxi drivers from her constituency who were studying for their qualification in Road Passenger Vehicle Transport. Ms Hewitt came to see how her constituents are benefiting from the course and heard from the drivers about their learning experiences. She said: 'This project is a great example of how trade unions are helping people to improve their skills and make real progress in their lives. I have been really impressed by the effort that these taxi drivers have made to re-engage with education.' The partnership group behind the innovative learning programme has achieved a lot of interest nationally and recently gained a local award. The annual Leicester College 'Awards to Industry' recognise and celebrate the College's links with industry both locally and nationally. The award was presented to the partnership group behind the Leicester Taxi project at a ceremony held at Leicester College's Freemen's Park Campus in June 2008. Over 100 more drivers are now lined up to take the course, with more activity planned to encourage further applications including a roll-out programme to target the 4,000 plus drivers throughout Leicestershire. Two of the graduates have put their names forward to be trained as Assessors of the NVQ so that they can help their fellow drivers achieve the qualification. The scheme was initiated by Leicester Shire Promotions, provided by Leicester College and funded by the Leicestershire Learning and Skills Council. The o ther partner organisations involved in the development of the pilot project include unionlearn*, Rail Union Learning (RUL), GoSkills - the Sector Skills Council for Passenger Transport, RMT Learning and Leicester City Council. Briefing document (600 words) issued 20 Nov 2008  Creative writing tips Yorkshire and the Humber Short story competition winner Are you the weak link in your workplace's Internet defences? |
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