Council support helping to solve the HGV driver crisis

Fifty new HGV drivers have gained their licences thanks to support from the Employability Bridgend team at Bridgend County Borough Council.

In recent months, national news headlines have been dominated by the impact of a UK-wide shortage of HGV drivers and the problems this is causing for public transport services, school buses and deliveries of goods and fuel to stores and filling stations.

The council is helping to tackle the shortage by supporting 50 new drivers to complete their HGV training and find new jobs within the industry.

Set up to support both employed and unemployed residents across the county borough and to help them gain new skills and find work, Employability Bridgend has supported each trainee driver financially to access and complete the training.

With empty shelves within shops and long queues at busier-than-normal filling station forecourts, we have all seen how the nationwide shortage of HGV drivers has affected our daily lives in recent weeks.

Employability Bridgend have been working to tackle this shortage and to help local residents progress into sustainable, well-paid employment. It is important for local authorities to explore ways to tackle this crisis effectively, and this work by Employability Bridgend will go some way to alleviating the issue.

I would encourage anyone who may be looking for a new opportunity or to move into employment to contact our fantastic Employability Team, and see what support could be available for you.

Councillor Stuart Baldwin, Cabinet Member for Communities