The RTITB Instructor Academy has launched a new LGV/HGV Driver Mentor course. This forward-thinking training is designed to help new drivers refine their skills and learn best practices from experienced mentors. This can help them become more confident and competent on the road.
The new training also helps employers tackle safety, talent attraction, and driver retention challenges. Employees with mentors are 35% less likely* to leave a company in the first year.
“When a driver joins a company, the first shifts are a crucial time for embedding safety, culture and high standards,” says Laura Mack, Academy Manager for the RTITB Instructor Academy. “So, it’s important to make sure new drivers ‘buddy up’ with someone who has the right knowledge and skills to give them the support they need. And that’s where having a correctly trained mentor is key.”
For 86% of employees** access to a mentor is a key factor in them staying with their employer. However, many logistics companies do not have trained mentors in place, assuming that experienced drivers can undertake the ‘buddy’ role. Yet without mentor training, they may not have the right attitude or communication skills to properly support new colleagues.
The new two- or three-day LGV/HGV Driver Mentor training course from the RTITB Instructor Academy provides a simple solution. It equips experienced LGV/HGV professionals with the right skills and knowledge to help new drivers uphold standards around safety and efficiency, and to develop in their careers.
The LGV/HGV Driver Mentor course content is based on the European Mentoring and Coaching Council’s (EMCC) competence framework. It is designed to help trained mentors to manage diversity, maintain boundaries, help mentees develop, and follow the law. The training covers active listening, questioning techniques, checking for understanding, and delivering quality feedback.
Full-time mentors are unlikely to be necessary in most companies. So, the training will enable working drivers to take on additional responsibilities as and when needed. Often drivers feel more able to trust a colleague in a mentoring role, compared to an external mentor.
“In 2019 there was an estimated shortfall of 60,000 drivers. And as of March 2023, the situation was the same.*** So it’s as important as ever to showcase LGV/HGV driving as an attractive option,” explains Laura. “Having trained mentors can make a difference to recruitment. It demonstrates that your company is committed to supporting new drivers, helping you stand out as an employer of choice,” adds Laura.
The new training course helps upskill experienced drivers and provide career development opportunities. Typically, those in a mentor role are six-times more likely to be promoted than their peers**, supporting employee engagement and retention.
Mentors help support drivers’ professional development in the long term. Employees that receive mentoring are five-times more likely to get a promotion than those who do not**. Alongside this, mentors are also ideally placed to support driver wellbeing.
“Having a chance to speak openly around wellbeing can be an important factor in keeping LGV/HGV drivers on the road,” says Laura. “The mentoring process gives new drivers opportunities to ask questions or raise concerns and can signpost them to the support they may need, helping improve job satisfaction.”
“Prevention is better than cure,” she adds. ” Correctly mentoring new drivers from the start can help to save time and money in the future.”
The new LGV Driver Mentor course is available at the RTITB Instructor Academy’s specialist training centre in Telford, UK. Or it can be delivered on a customer’s site.
For further information, or to discuss course content or entry requirements, contact the RTITB Instructor Academy at academy@rtitb.com or visit www.rtitbacademy.com.
