Transport industry aims for 1000 new applicants
The shortage of professional drivers is a global problem, and New Zealand is not immune, with some estimates the country needs thousands of new drivers. And it is not just drivers, but also people working in logistics and support roles. An ageing workforce compounds the problem.
Te ara ki tua Road to success is an initiative set up in 2021 by three organisations: Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting
New Zealand, National
Road Carriers, and the
New Zealand Trucking Association. With it the industry is making good progress in encouraging more people to join by undertaking professional qualifications.
Late last year, Road to success set itself the goal of 1000 enrolments in tertiary qualifications by the end of 2023.
“Work over the past couple of years has seen the Road to success tertiary qualifications pathway gain momentum,” says Fiona McDonagh from Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand. “The road transport industry is an exciting place to work – especially with new technology changing how people do things.
These tertiary qualifications are bringing the industry up-to-date and putting it on a more professional footing. It has also become far more diverse and is attracting many more women into what was once very much a male-dominated industry.
“The sooner we get this tertiary qualification pathway commonly recognised as the go-to path that truck drivers take as a matter of course – which is not too dissimilar to the approach taken in other sectors with apprenticeships – the more our sector will benefit in the long run.”
McDonagh attributes the programme’s success to good buy-in from road transport companies. “The leadership they have shown, particularly in innovating and changing their approach, make it easier to nurture new-to-industry drivers or give their current driver an opportunity to gain a fit-for-purpose industry qualification.”
Road to success offers two options. The traineeship provides the pathway for new-to-industry drivers, as well as supporting those operators who are already training and developing new drivers, giving them the tertiary qualification framework to complement the in-cab training already being given. The Boost programme allows for more established drivers to gain a tertiary qualification and promotes continuous learning.
You can find the Te ara ki tua Road to success tertiary qualifications pathway at roadtosuccess.nz. For more information, contact Fiona McDonagh on 027 471 4350 or 04 472 3877 or email success@transporting.nz.