We’ve teamed up with the Longleigh Foundation to offer free lorry driver training to our customers to kickstart new careers and help tackle the national shortage of HGV drivers that caused widespread disruption in October.

If you’re interested in gaining a Category C or C+E licence and becoming a hugely valuable part of the country’s supply-chain, get in touch to get started. You will need to meet Longleigh's eligibility criteria, and we can support you with your application. You can also apply for a government-funded Skills Bootcamp in HGV driving - read on to learn more.

In September 2021, the government announced investment in new Skills Bootcamps to help people become HGV drivers. Backed by £34 million in funding, there are up to 11,000 HGV driver training places for people that are new, returning to or looking to upskill as a HGV driver.

These free training courses are now available, helping adults train to be HGV drivers (and gain a Cat C or Cat C&E licence) or helping qualified HGV drivers to upskill or return to the industry. They are short and intensive, taking up to 16 weeks to complete. Participants that are looking for a new job, and successfully complete the course, are also guaranteed a job interview with a local employer.

The move will support more people to launch new, often well-paid careers within the logistics sector, training drivers to be road ready, including relevant licenses and certification, and helping to tackle the current HGV driver shortage. The course will cover all the testing, training and support required to take someone with experience of only driving a car right through to being a road ready HGV driver.

To sign up for a Skills Bootcamp in HGV driving, you must be aged 19 or over, employed, self-employed, have recently become unemployed (in the past 12 months) or are returning to work after a break. You will also need to have a full UK driving licence. Some Skills Bootcamps have additional eligibility criteria, so check with your local Skills Bootcamp provider.

Courses are available in locations across England and those interested can find out more here. You are able to send more than one application to different course providers and organisations in the same region to boost your chances. You can also contact the National Careers Service for advice on these and other options open to you, or use the National Careers Service 'find a course' tool.

In addition, people can train through courses accessed locally and funded by the government’s adult education budget (AEB). There are five Level 2 certificates in driving goods vehicles available now, until 31 July 2022. You can find out more here.