Free Heavy Vehicle Driver Preparation Programme Delivered by TTS
Set yourself up for success in your heavy vehicle driver training by attending a FREE one-week course at Transport Training Services.
This programme, which is funded by Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council, and delivered by TTS, is aimed at anyone interested in becoming a truck or bus driver.
- Preparation for the theory, hazard perception and case study tests (all required before getting behind the wheel of a lorry or bus)
- Learn about safe and fuel-efficient driving
- Gain an insight into route planning
- Learn about correct vehicle loading and unloading
- Find out how to prepare the vehicle for use
- Get help with arranging the required medical examination
To be eligible to participate in this programme, you must be a resident of Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council, be over the age of 18 and hold a full driving licence for a car.
Date options are as follows:
Group 1 - 9th May
Group 2 - 13th June
Limited places are available!
To book, call us on 028 9082 5653 or email us at mail@transporttraining.org.
‘Women in Wheels NI’ Event Demonstrates Demand for Automotive & Transport Careers by Women
Transport Training Services hosted the first ever Women in Wheels NI event on Sunday 6th March to coincide with International Women’s Day.
The event called Women Driving Change, which was kindly sponsored by Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council, offered females of all ages from across Northern Ireland the opportunity to find out about the wide range of career opportunities in the automotive and transport/logistics sectors.
Participants took part in interactive activities, including getting behind the wheel of a truck or bus and getting hands-on with vehicle maintenance demonstrations. The event also had speakers from a broad cross-section of the motor and transport sectors, from truck and bus drivers, vehicle technicians, fleet and transport managers, female business owners and many more. A range of employers were also there to talk about live job opportunities on the day, including Woodside Logistics Group, Translink, Bryson Recycling, Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service, DHL Supply Chain, Manpower, Mercedes-Benz Truck & Van, and Donnelly Group.
With more than 120 people through the doors at TTS and 72 getting behind the wheel of a truck or bus, the event was a huge success. As well as practical activities such as vehicle technician demonstrations and vehicle paint technician displays, a range of panel discussions, hosted by Pamela Dennison, ran throughout the day with speakers from a broad cross-section of the sectors being promoted.
In addition to Automotive, Transport & Logistics and HGV Driver panels, a Compliance and Fleet Management panel gave attendees the chance to find out about career possibilities that may be lesser known roles to anyone outside of the industry.
Siofra McClure, Recruitment Co-Ordinator at Woodside Logistics Group had this to say:
“At Woodside Logistics Group, our aim is to continue to build an inclusive culture where all our staff feel welcome and valued. We recognise there is a need to encourage more women into the transport and logistics industry and we are proud to work with partners like Women in Wheels NI to show the opportunities we have for women interested in a career in logistics and build on the progress we have already made.
We were delighted to be a partner at the inaugural Women Driving Change event at the Transport Training Services on Sunday 6th March. The event was a huge success and really highlighted not only the opportunities available for women in the industry but the amount of women in Northern Ireland who want to break down the barriers and start a career in logistics. We are excited to continue our work to drive inclusion and we look forward to working with our colleagues in the industry to provide more opportunities for women.”
Fiona Gallery, HR Officer at Donnelly Group added: “Thank you for such an inspiring day! It was great to meet so many passionate women who are interested in a career the automotive industry. Donnelly Group are very proud to support and work in partnership with such a fantastic event.”
One participant, Zoe McVey, said: “Thank you so much for today. It was so interesting. I really enjoyed the practical aspect too. I am definitely going to do my HGV training. Thanks for helping me decide!”
Another, Stephanie Blain, added: “Great day all round. It has totally inspired me! I have plenty of homework and reading to do…Hopefully I’ll be going forward into the future for something that really interests me.”
And Alex Jay, had this to say: “Absolutely class!...I've been struggling a lot lately and today was such an amazing experience. I’m still smiling from my drive in the fire engine! So many lovely people sharing their experiences in various careers has really given me inspiration. Thank you so much to everyone who spent time chatting with me.”
Other comment included: “a new career beckons” and “change of career direction I think”.
With less than 2% of vehicle technicians and large goods vehicle drivers in NI, and just 14% of all UK logistics workers being female, the organisations involved in this event are committed to attracting more women into a range of historically male-dominated careers.
Michael Strain, CEO of TTS, commented: “I have no doubt that many of the women in attendance will go on to take up careers in automotive or transport, having seen the response on the day and the very positive feedback that we have received since. We couldn’t have been more pleased to see the fantastic turn out at the first ever Women in Wheels NI event.”
TTS runs a Facebook Group (www.facebook.com/groups/womeninwheelsni) which now has more than 340 members, a combination of automotive and transport industry professionals and women interested in careers in these sectors.
Due to the success of this inaugural Women in Wheels NI event, TTS hopes to run another one later in the year.
TTS To Host Women Driving Change Event
- Have a go at truck or bus driving in a safe environment
- Take part in interactive vehicle workshop activities and demonstrations
- Speak to and hear from females working in automotive, transport and logistics
- Speak to employers in automotive, transport and logistics about career opportunities with them
- Translink
- NI Fire & Rescue Service
- Bryson Recycling
- Woodside Logistics Group
- Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council
TTS Launches New Customer Service, Management & Team Leading Apprenticeships
Transport Training Services has launched a brand new range of apprenticeships aimed at helping existing automotive, transport and logistics professionals to up-skill in the following areas:
Team Leading Apprenticeship
This level 2 team leading apprenticeship is designed for supervisors or first-line managers and provides practical knowledge and skills to strengthen leadership in an existing role or to advance the learner’s management career.
To participate in this apprenticeship, candidates must be managing people currently and they must hold team and one-to-one meetings.
Management Apprenticeship
This level 3 management apprenticeship is designed for current managers who require upskilling in areas of their job to be fully competent.
To participate in this apprenticeship, candidates should be managing staff and/or managing processes.
Customer Service Apprenticeship
A customer service apprenticeship is a training scheme that teaches the skills required to provide excellent customer service. These skills can be applied to jobs in almost any sector so the career possibilities are endless.
For more information on these apprenticeships, please click here.
Transport Training Services Expands Leadership
A lot has been going on at Transport Training Services since it emerged from the Covid lockdowns.
The organisation has a new Chief Executive and has added ten new members to its Board of Trustees demonstrating expertise across Education, Transport and Automotive.
Michael Strain is the new Chief Executive who comes from a 30-year career in the oil distribution industry. His career started in 1986 working for Fuel Services NI Ltd before heading to Dublin in 1997 to work for Shell Oil. Eight years later Michael returned to Northern Ireland to head up Shell’s all Ireland Local Fuels Operation as it transitioned to Topaz.
“It’s with great pride that I take the up this role with TTS. As with any new career challenge there is always a feeling of excitement and trepidation. However, I have never started a role that gave me such instant gratification and personal reward for what we are trying to achieve at TTS as a charity and a centre of education.
When leaving the oil industry, I set myself a personal goal of getting involved in either a charity or an environmental organisation. I have achieved both in TTS. As a charity we are the leading provider for apprenticeships and career focused training for people in the transport, automotive and logistics industries, providing a crucial route for young people to gain well-paid, secure, productive employment.
Transport by its nature has been, and continues to be, a major global polluter, and this is where my environmental goal gets fulfilled. At TTS, one of our missions is to work closely with vehicle manufacturers to develop new training skills, materials and facilities to cater for alternate fuels. We currently have a dedicated EV training suite and are now in the process of working with local councils and education boards to develop our hydrogen strategy. I’m looking forward to all these new initiatives and can feel my personal carbon footprint decreasing by the day”.
Michael is pleased to be supported in his role by the Transport Training Board of Northern Ireland whose board of trustees bring with them a wealth of knowledge across the transport and educational sectors of Northern Ireland.
Find out more about the new TTB board here.
Transport Training Services is a working name of the social enterprise company and charity the Transport Training Board for Northern Ireland charity registration NI101451
Important Announcement for Transport Managers - Action Required before 31st December!
It has come to light that the European Commission has stated that after the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020, Transport Management CPCs issued by an authority of the United Kingdom or a body authorised by the United Kingdom will no longer be valid in the EU. This includes those that have taken the exam through CILT and OCR, bodies that TTS uses for its accreditation.
Fleet Transport Magazine highlighted this issue in its article here.
The Department for Transport has been liaising with the European Commission and has received clarification that UK-qualified transport managers can be issued with a corresponding Irish Transport Management CPC but this has to be done BEFORE the end of the Brexit transition period.
Those affected should send an email to studentsupport@cilt.ie indicating that they hold a UK-issued Transport Management CPC and wish to obtain a corresponding Irish certificate.
If you are one of the many affected by this issue please act now. Applications MUST be submitted to CILT by 31st December 2020.
Recruitment Drive for Sessional Trainers at TTS
TTS, a social enterprise which builds skills in people working in the automotive, logistics and transport sectors, is strengthening its team of trainers by widening its bank of sessional trainers.
What we need are career professionals who already have qualifications and experience in their field and would like to take a step further with flexible opportunities to share this experience with others through training, mentoring and support.
Our training program includes leadership, management and compliance programs for the logistics, taxi and transport industries; foundation and ongoing professional training for the automotive industries as well as on the road skills and license preparation for freight and passenger transport drivers. We also deliver safety training and accreditation for the movement of dangerous goods and management of automotive workshops.
Quality provision is critical to us. We are ISO 9001 accredited and a recognised centre for the following bodies:
- The Institute of Export & International Trade
- Institute of the Motor Industry
- Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport
- The Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training
- National Tyre Distributors’ Association
- Scottish Qualifications Authority
- Apprenticeships NI
- Open College Network
- Institute of Road Transport Engineers
What We Need
We are looking to identify a pool of experienced sessional trainers who have proven experience in their fields and who, with induction and training, will help TTS to build and develop our delivery in the next stage of our growth.
This bank of trainers will be drawn upon to support innovation, to improve our diversity of delivery, to meet times of key demand and to expand our reach. Our strategy and growth is showing us we need to grow our team and we want to bring on board a wider spread of people and skills to support our training and development services ahead.
Training delivery might be with people to gain skills qualifications and apprenticeships:
- Automotive - light and heavy vehicles, parts & service, bodywork and paint, fast fit, workshop safety, F-Gas, electric vehicle and more
- Logistics and transport - Driver CPC, Export and Brexit readiness, Transport Manager Qualification, ADR, DGSA, Taxi Periodic Training and licence categories C, C+E, D and D1
These self-employed roles will be for day, evening and weekend provision at our modern specialist training centre at Nutts Corner or at a customer’s premises across Ireland. It may be for short term or longer-term delivery as the need arises.
What You Need To Do
For an informal conversation on the opportunity please give Stephen Wilkinson, Training Director a call to get more information. To apply we will need you to send us your cv and a cover letter and make sure we have your name, address and phone number. Please include:
- Your current role and your relevant experience
- Your relevant professional training
- Any training and development qualifications and/or experience
- The particular area you are interested in delivering training with us and why your experience can support your training in that area
- The names and phone number of two referees
Applicants may need later to have an Access NI check done and we will ask to see copies of qualification certificates before you may start.
We will wish to meet with you and we will provide and induction through which we both can work out how (or if) you might deliver training for us.
Application Deadline and Delivery
We are open to applications on a rolling basis but we will shortlist and follow up on applications on or around the first day of each month.
These are preferred by email to HR@transporttraining.org
Or by mail to:
HR
Transport Training Services
Nutts Corner Business Park
15 Dundrod Road
Crumlin
BT29 4SS
Demystify Brexit Workshops Available to Book
Transport Training Services (NI) Ltd is pleased to announce its 'Demystify Brexit' Workshop, in conjunction with the Customs Clearance Consortium and hosted by BREXIT expert, Rob Hardy.
This practical training session will focus on awareness of the what, where, when and how of customs processes and documentation required after Brexit, including the best sequencing and management of events. More importantly, the session will highlight the potential challenges and pitfalls associated with getting processes and paperwork wrong! This interactive workshop will uniquely cover a range of real-life scenario examples to provide relevant context to the required processes. The aim will be to deliver practical advice, as well as the theory.
Although there will be a phased approach to the additional customs procedures that are set to be introduced, there will be added customs requirements as early as 1st January 2021. There is plenty that importers, exporters and hauliers can prepare now, and this course will provide delegates with guidance on getting ready.
Rob is founder of the Customs Clearance Consortium, a renowned BREXIT advisor and a registered expert with the EU Commission.
The workshop is essential for anyone concerned with importing and/or exporting goods into or out of the island of Ireland, including product manufacturers and distributors and transport and warehousing companies.
"As part of our new three-year strategy we are committed to supporting the transport and motor sectors with relevant training on the issues that matter most. When we set out to plan this event we knew from the outset that Rob was the most knowledgeable and in-demand BREXIT expert available so we were thrilled when he agreed to host our event." Peter O'Reilly, CEO at TTS
A range of dates have been released and these courses are eligible for government grant funding via the HMRC Customs Grant Scheme.
Given the current social distancing guidelines this is a blended delivery programme. Participants have the option of socially-distanced in-centre training or can join online via Zoom.
"Robert Hardy has been instrumental in our Brexit preparations. His expert knowledge, guidance and support has allowed us to navigate the complex world of customs clearance based on our business model, allowing us to guide our customers through their requirements and preparing them for 1st January 2021. Robert’s experience in customs over the past 20 years is unquestionable and he really has been a valuable asset to us." – William Dennison, W.S. Dennison
Click here to find out more or to register for this event.
Ford Technicians and Apprentices Successfully Complete 5 Days of Specialist Ford Training at TTS
TTS recently organised and hosted Ford specialist training at its training centre in Nutts Corner. The 5-day programme was primarily aimed at current TTS apprentices as well as recently qualified apprentices and technicians in the trade working with the Ford brand. The modules covered were Basic Electrics and Electronics; Steering, Suspension and Brakes; and Service Quality.
TTS would like to place on record its thanks to specialist Ford trainer Colin Crick who expertly delivered the programme and at the same time ensured that TTS trainer John Walsh is now equipped to deliver Ford modules at TTS in the future. Participation in the course awards credits on the FordLearn system and therefore provides a cost effective solution to accreditation for apprentices and technicians.
Picture caption – Pictured with Ford specialist technical trainer Colin Crick (left) and TTS technical trainer John Walsh (right) are Darren Anderson, Lee Krelle, David Brown, Jamie Houston, Marc Patton, Caolan Jack and Christopher Laverty