Attract, retain, develop

In NTA, June 2021•3 Minutes•By NZ Trucking magazine•July 7, 2021

A 2020 survey by the Road Transport Forum (RTF) shows 37% of New Zealand’s road-freight operators have a shortage of drivers. About 25% of drivers are currently over 60, and it is estimated that within five years, almost 20% of today’s driving workforce will need to be replaced.

The New Zealand Trucking Association (NTA) actively drives change in the industry, addressing the issues associated with the driver shortage and ageing workforce. These challenges are too big for just one organisation; it will take a collaborative approach with everyone involved in influencing our future transformation.

Proactive Drive – Driver Education Trust and the NTA are working to create better, safer drivers for life, promote road-safety education, and raise awareness of the many career pathways offered by the transport and logistics industry.

Career development is critical. By attracting, retaining and developing its workforce, the industry achieves the resilience required to survive in an increasingly progressive and turbulent business environment.

Future recruitment and development require a collaborative approach with the education sector. New Zealand’s education system was designed for an industrial economy that is now being automated and requires transformation – from a system based on facts and procedures to one that actively applies that knowledge to collaborative problem-solving.

Working towards a dual pathway for secondary school students, founded on support and qualifications that take a fresh approach to training and employment, the National Trade Academy is delivering a suite of New Zealand Qualifications Authority-endorsed unit standards in partnership with Proactive Drive.

This range of stackable National Certificate of Educational Achievement credits is designed to progress students towards their class-1 driver’s licence and certify achievement of a specific set of industry-focussed foundational skill sets.

In collaboration with industry partners, combining the unit standards’ theoretical components is well supported with practical training. This learning approach will enable students to further their education while experiencing future employment opportunities across the industry.

Once a student has achieved their class-1 licence, they can apply for a traineeship in the Road to success programme recently launched by the RTF.

Te ara ki tua Road to success provides a career path for people who want to become a truck driver.

Trainees will:

• be matched with a suitable transport business that will employ them for the traineeship;

• have a hands-on approach to learning;

• receive a liveable wage – earn while you learn;

• get nationally recognised qualifications;

• progress their licence class.