A.W. Jenkinson Transport launches further LGV Bootcamps

Following the success of its LGV Bootcamps, A.W. Jenkinson Transport is now bringing the scheme to the south of England!

Bootcamps are a hugely successful Government scheme designed to re-skill people into new roles and industries. SP Training has been supporting the HGV Skills Bootcamps as part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee, helping everyone gain skills for life. HGV Bootcamps are intense training courses aimed at quickly training individuals in the skills required to drive HGV vehicles.

We spoke to Greg Mason, Driver Development Manager at A.W. Jenkinson Transport, to find out how well the Bootcamp scheme has been going.

How have the Bootcamps been working for A.W. Jenkinson Transport Ltd?

When we launched the LGV Bootcamp with SP Training at our Penrith site in April 2022, we attracted hundreds of applications from local candidates keen to take advantage of the scheme and train for their C+E LGV Licence. With support from the SP Training Bootcamp Recruitment Team, we were able to source and select 50 final applicants. They went on to complete the programme, qualify and join our team of drivers.

The Skills for Life LGV Bootcamp scheme worked very well for the needs of our business. We have had excellent feedback from candidates, and we are looking forward to this second phase of Bootcamps to support our southern depots.

Why do you believe the scheme has been so successful?

We employ two internal Driver Trainers in our A.W. Jenkinson Driver Training School, and we are proud to have trained 43 new LGV drivers through this scheme so far. We have been overwhelmed by the quality of the applications – it is exciting to see so many fresh and motivated people joining our industry.

One of the reasons for our success is that we support our newly qualified drivers through an internal eight-week development plan, during which they receive 1-2-1 coaching, mentoring and a driver buddy for the first couple of weeks on the road.

Why should candidates sign up for your Bootcamp scheme?

We understand that the job of a long-haul LGV driver can be tough and our loads aren’t always the cleanest. It can be lonely too, as our drivers are away all week – Monday to Friday on the road, sleeping away from home.

However we support them as best we can and reward them fairly for the job they do. Our qualified drivers take home an inclusive annual salary of up to £50,000 a year, drive modern, comfortable vehicles. For some, a life on the road is exactly what they are looking for.

How does the training scheme work?

We have set up a number of measures for our LGV Bootcamp graduates, as well as our newly qualified drivers. We believe that this helps our staff turnover remain low across the business.

The first eight weeks following licence acquisition follow a strict support plan. This includes an intense and informative five-day on-site induction where we upskill our new drivers with information about our industry and other job-related matters, such as managing their drivers’ hours. They then experience two weeks of on-the-job mentoring, with the first week on the road buddying up with an experienced driver, before they have a second week driving independently following an experienced driver on the road.

Within eight weeks, our newly qualified drivers are ready to join our main fleet and receive the full qualified salary.

What’s next for the A.W. Jenkinson Transport Bootcamp scheme?

Following the success we have had in the north of England, we are keen to emulate this in the south, particularly along the M4 Corridor across our Queenborough, Chippenham and Avonmouth depots.

Working with SP Training, we are launching a new recruitment campaign to attract applicants from the south of the country to join our business and gain their licence via LGV Bootcamps. Applicants will be invited to an interview in their local depot of interest and then up to our LGV Bootcamp training school in Penrith, Cumbria to train for and sit their LGV licence test.

Thank you so much to Greg Mason for talking to us about the Bootcamp scheme with A.W. Jenkinson Transport.

If you would like to find out more and apply, check out our Bootcamp Vacancies page, or read more about how HGV Skills Bootcamps work here.