Canute And Wilko Join Forces With Apprentice Scheme
25th February 2016
UK logistics provider the Canute Group has joined forces with supply chain partner Wilko to launch a new apprenticeship scheme at their depots at Nottinghamshire and South Wales.
The scheme aims to give a new generation of drivers the opportunity to forge a lifelong career, as well as helping Canute to future-proof their operation by giving their drivers the skills and knowledge to adapt to the changing needs of the industry.
The initiative was developed after Nicola Martin, Systems & Process Manager on Canutes Wilko contract, realised the introduction of the compulsory Certificate of Professional Competence in 2014 would lead to a nationwide driver shortage.
Nicola explains: We knew a lot of drivers would retire when the certificate came in, either because they didnt want to go through the training or couldnt afford it. Anticipating the potential skills gap, we saw it as a good opportunity to start attracting younger people into our industry at entry-level.
Together with Wilko, Canute brought in apprenticeship specialists Fleet Master to set up a framework for training drivers and in April 2015, they took on their first two apprentices; they now have six in Manton Wood and two in Magor.
Recruits are ideally aged between 18 and 23 so that they can benefit from full training on their Category B Licence before progressing in their first year to their Category C and C+E Licence for Class 2 and 1 vehicles and becoming a fully qualified HGV driver within two years.
Alongside their driving qualifications, apprentices also produce course work for the Quality Credit Framework (QCF), which is similar to NVQ qualifications. They aim to reach their QCF Level 2 in Driving Goods Vehicles within their first year, and their Transport Freight by Road QCF within their second year.
Beyond these examinations, recruits spend time shadowing the Transport Manager, the Health & Safety department and the Driver Training departments, learning everything about what goes into getting a load from A to B safely and efficiently.
Nicola says: Instead of just training them up and putting them out on road, we wanted our apprentices to have a comprehensive understanding of how our industry works so that theyre fully informed about the whole supply chain and can confidently answer any questions a customer might ask.
Once apprentices have qualified, they stay with Canute for a further three years in order to cut their teeth. To help them progress at a safe pace, Canute have graded each delivery run so that the difficulty rating of each one is rated from relatively straightforward green through to the more difficult red. This allows drivers to build their confidence and fine-tune their skills with the support and mentorship of driver trainers.
And its not just young men who are taking part in the scheme; Nicola says she has begun to see a gradual increase in enquiries from women too. 23-year-old apprentice Hollie Ridley has just completed her Class 1 and 2 licenses and is looking forward to a rewarding career in logistics.