LEICESTER TAXI DRIVERS GRADUATE

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: july/august 2008 :: RMTnews 34 Over 50 members of the RMT Leicester Taxi Drivers Branch have successfully completed an award winning innovative new training programme. The first graduates of a new NVQ training course for local taxi drivers were awarded their certificates at a major official ceremony, held at the National Space Centre in Leicester recently. Over 50 drivers successfully qualified for the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 2 in Road Passenger Transport, following completion of their training at Leicester College. The work-based pilot scheme was created to help city-based taxi drivers develop their skills and knowledge and gain a nationally-recognised qualification. The six-month training course included sessions on the Disability Discrimination Act, personal safety, customer services and the provision of tourist information on the city. Places on the course were free to eligible drivers in the city and the qualification is equivalent to five GCSEs at grades A-C. BRANCH The RMT branch was one of the key partners in driving forward this initiative, providing information to drivers and recruiting them on to the scheme. Branch Secretary Kashmir Singh spoke to as many drivers as possible, explaining to them that the course was something they all should do. “I really enjoyed the course and found it very helpful, some things it covered was health and safety issues around loading and unloading a wheelchair and safety tips from the Police including speed awareness and raising your hand to acknowledge passengers and notify road users when stopping," he said. RMT Learning, the newly formed Project Team at RMT which aims to move the learning agenda forward within the union and bring learning opportunities to members, supported the Leicester Taxi Project. Development Worker (North) Graham Chesters, said that the training programme had been a great success and a positive experience for the taxi drivers. “The branch deserves credit for supporting this initiative and working with the other partners to make it happen,” he said. Over 100 more drivers are now lined up to take the course, with more activity planned to encourage further applications including a roll- out programme to target the 4,000 plus drivers throughout Leicestershire. The scheme was initiated by Leicester Shire Promotions, provided by Leicester College and funded by the Local Learning and Skills Council. Along with the local RMT branch, the other partner organisations involved in the development of the pilot project include GoSkills – the Sector Skills Council for Passenger Transport, RMT Learning, Unionlearn and Leicester City Council. LEICESTER TAXI DRIVERS GRADUATE RMT taxi drivers successfully graduate from new training course at Leicester College GRADUATES: Leicester Taxi Drivers and Project partners celebrating their achievement after the graduation ceremony at the National Space Centre IN Leicester.