Extra HGV driver training places for veterans and service leavers

Over 240 extra HGV training places are available for service leavers and veterans, under the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) – the MOD’s official scheme for those transitioning from the military into civilian life.

The current provision of 100 training places will increase to nearly 350 places over the next 12 months.

Courses are available in Cat C, Cat C&E, Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (DCPC) and ADR (dangerous goods), opening up a range of employment opportunities to service leavers.

The expansion of the driver training offer will aid a cross-government effort to increase the number of HGV drivers, whilst also recognising the ask from service leavers and veterans for more funded vocational training. In addition, following agreement with the Department for Transport (DfT) and Department for Education (DfE), veterans who already hold an HGV licence, but have not undertaken the training to drive commercially, will be able to use DfE Skills Bootcamps to gain this qualification. The Defence School of Transport has been granted approval to train service leavers with the first of these courses having already begun and 120 places made available throughout the year.

The new training places are made possible because an exemption has been applied to allow veterans and service leavers to use their Enhanced Learning Credits (ELC[1]) to train as HGV drivers.

ELCs can normally only be used for qualifications that are Level 3 or above, on the national Regulated Qualification Framework (RQF). However, this exemption qualifies HGV driver training, usually Level 2, for ELC funding. Although an extra 240 training places are being made available, there is the capacity to increase places depending on interest.