Recruitment specialist Encore Personnel is planning to hire a dedicated, full-time CPC trainer to offer extended training sessions both in the week and at weekends.
The move aims to help clear the backlog of drivers awaiting their Driver CPC training as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns and to support its clients in attracting and retaining drivers.
Encore operates 10 branches across the Midlands, including its head office in Leicester and is a JAUPT (Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training) approved training centre. It employs more than 200 staff and specialises in warehousing, manufacturing, logistics, driving and engineering recruitment.
Wayne Stroud (pictured), Encore’s senior driving division manager, said recruiting the in-house trainer represents a significant investment.
“We’d noticed that during lockdown drivers had fallen behind with their periodic training - which means there is now a huge backlog." he explained. "We offered remote training but the reality was that drivers are more likely to attend in person – so we needed to address this immediately.
“We were always going to invest in our CPC training offering as we could see that additional capacity during the week and at weekends would benefit our drivers, in turn ensuring they continued to deliver an excellent, safe and efficient service to our customers."
Encore MD Pete Taylor added: “The pandemic has intensified what was already a very challenging landscape in driver recruitment. Brexit negatively impacted the depth of the talent pool of experienced and reliable drivers available to us, which combined with a diminishing number of drivers due to retirement, and an escalating supply and demand situation which is pushing up pay rates, meant we accelerated our investment in our driver training offering.
“This new CPC resource means we can confidently say we put our drivers’ needs first and are committed to securing for them the best jobs on the market, all under the umbrella of our Approved Driver Scheme.”
