Shepherd Distribution Services Driver Training Academy Goes from Strength to Strength

Shepherd Distribution Services established its in-house Driver Academy in 2014, as a proactive response to expected driver shortages resulting from new Driver CPC legislation. Our idea was to provide an opportunity for new people who wanted to become professional drivers, even if they had no previous experience of working in the logistics sector.

A year on, we're delighted to say that the Academy is going from strength to strength, making a valuable contribution to the region's skilled logistics workforce and meeting Shepherds' own need for qualified drivers.

The first phase of the Academy produced 4 graduates, and we were very pleased with the quality of the new recruits to the Shepherds team. Academy phase 2 began with an Open Day on 21st October this year. The event attracted 30 people and included basic maths and English tests, a Transit van driving test and a general evalution of candidates' suitability for the programme.

12 candidates were then shortlisted and invited to join the Academy, with a view to qualifying with CPC Class 2 licences within 8 weeks. Of the 12 drivers, Shepherd Distribution Services expects to retain 4, with the other 8 helping to meet the wider regional need for qualified drivers. We're working in partnership with organisations including Talstaff Recruitment to place graduate drivers with other local businesses.

Left to right: Driver Academy graduates Kai Fleming, Ryan Westwood & John Reid.

Shepherd Distribution Services now employs 67 drivers, and soon around 15% of the team will be graduates of our own Driver Academy. But we don't intend to stop there. We plan to continue running the Academy on a quarterly basis, and expect the number of Academy graduates within our workforce to keep on growing.

Overall, Shepherds' investment in the Driver Academy has proven to be a great success - for the company, our graduates and a regional logistics sector with a growing demand for qualified drivers.