A driver training specialist is recruiting 21 Shropshire Jobseekers with the goal of helping them get a forklift truck licence and into employment.
Dulson Training, which has bases in Shrewsbury, Telford and Wrexham, has secured a European Social Funding Community Grant for the scheme and it is hoped that this will be the first of many such projects for the firm in helping people into the logistics industry.
The grant was obtained through Shropshire-based employment and training charity Landau with the help of ANTA Education, a private training and recruitment provider based in Shifnal.
The 21 Jobseekers are due to begin their RTITB accredited forklift training at Dulson shortly and this comes at a time when there is a national shortage of workers in the logistics sector. Dulson Training provides all types of forklift training alongside HGV, PCV, towing, driver CPC, First Aid, and ADR courses.
Steve Dulson, of Dulson Training, said: “We are delighted to be taking part in such a positive project where we can train local Jobseekers and help them obtain their forklift truck licence - a vital step on their path towards employment.
“There are literally thousands of job vacancies in the logistics industry at the moment and we are pleased to be playing our part in providing this wonderful opportunity to help people maximise their employment chances while also helping to address the shortage of logistics workers.
“The Community Grant Project, co-funded by the European Social Fund and ESFA, allows us to take part in this scheme and has been obtained through Landau. I would like to thank Craig Howard of ANTA Education for helping with our application.
“I have worked with Craig previously and ANTA Education has been helping to recruit our Shropshire Jobseekers for forklift training. They will also be working to find our Jobseekers employment when the training has finished. It is hoped that this collaboration is something we can carry forward to future similar projects.”
Craig said: “The idea of this scheme is to give the Jobseekers a leg-up and get them closer to the job market - we recruit the learners, Steve and his team do the training towards the forklift licence and we have the links to employers to help get our applicants straight into work.
“Steve and I have been talking about this type of collaboration for a while, helping the unemployed in a different way and this is a great opportunity for them to get into work - it’s something that could change their life."
Philippa Long, of Landau, said: “We are delighted to be able to support local businesses and charities in this much needed area of vocational training. The Community Grants projects create fantastic opportunities for the unemployed to move closer to the labour market and we look forward to showcasing some very successful outcomes.”
