mark4:
Can’t see what’s wrong with this. From what I’ve read too many people are not given enough training in the day to day stuff of securing load, driving, tacho etc, so an apprenticeship has to be a good thing. Not everyone will do well just having the keys and a fuel card chucked at them.And given that training providers only train to pass a test, I would have thought this type of thing would be welcomed certainly by people looking to get into the industry anyway. Any apprenticeship pays less than the going rate, but that’s part of the deal when they pay for training and ongoing development, surely?
I still can’t believe that HGV instructors don’t have to be approved (or pass a stringent test) like car or motorbike ones do, but that’s another subject…
I left school just over a year ago, I was looking at a similar apprenticeship near me at the time to get my foot in the door… safe to say I am bloody thankful I didn’t bother with that.
Just get your license and earn the right amount with it!
Beetlejuice:
paulweller84:
Peter Smythe:
Anyone with an ounce of common sense should do the sums. Train independently and pay with an interest free card (some available up to 4 years)What about those with terrible credit ratings and no possible way of borrowing anything?
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Contact peter smythe he does credit .
He offers credit to people with bad credit ratings? How?
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I wouldn’t worry about it. Being young does not mean you are stupid.
Doubtful many youngsters will take the bait in my opinion, what young person want’s to drive lorries for peanuts? (Not many is the answer).
eagerbeaver:
Doubtful many youngsters will take the bait in my opinion, what young person want’s to drive lorries for peanuts? (Not many is the answer).
As opposed to doing any job for peanuts? Point being that when you start out in many jobs you can’t expect high wages until you have gained experience, so an apprenticeship whether good or not is a valid way to get experience on a low wage in any type of job.
Given that employers ask for 2 years and many people end up going to a crap company to get said experience, I’m not sure what is so bad about this.
In the ideal world apprentices would earn £10-12 an hour and seasoned drivers £15-20 p/hr for a 40 hour week, but in the real world I’d be more than happy to do an apprenticeship (at my age!) for £8-9 an hour given I only earn £7.50 now (non driving) in a job I enjoy.
Just to redress the balance, it’s not only lorry drivers that get a raw deal in life! Plenty working in social care (not me) earning a pittance for severely unsocial hours and wiping people’s backsides.
mark4:
eagerbeaver:
Doubtful many youngsters will take the bait in my opinion, what young person want’s to drive lorries for peanuts? (Not many is the answer).As opposed to doing any job for peanuts? Point being that when you start out in many jobs you can’t expect high wages until you have gained experience, so an apprenticeship whether good or not is a valid way to get experience on a low wage in any type of job.
Given that employers ask for 2 years and many people end up going to a crap company to get said experience, I’m not sure what is so bad about this.
In the ideal world apprentices would earn £10-12 an hour and seasoned drivers £15-20 p/hr for a 40 hour week, but in the real world I’d be more than happy to do an apprenticeship (at my age!) for £8-9 an hour given I only earn £7.50 now (non driving) in a job I enjoy.
Just to redress the balance, it’s not only lorry drivers that get a raw deal in life! Plenty working in social care (not me) earning a pittance for severely unsocial hours and wiping people’s backsides.
Learning how to do a job properly is one thing. Being responsible for peoples lives the minute you start your first day is quite another.
Nobody should get behind the wheel of a truck for peanuts, and if you would be happy to drive a truck for £8-£9 an hour, there is something wrong with you.
adam277:
I’ve read the add twice now am I being dumb or does it actually state anywhere that they actually front the cost for the licences. You would think they would include that in there. It states you will be working to achieve your licences but do they not pay for it?
The way I’m reading it seems to me that they expect you to pay for it and will give you a pay rise upon completion of cat c and c+eJust going by the unit titles of the apprenticeship all of that can be achieved without requiring a HGV licence.
Most likely paid for under the warehouse to wheels scheme that DHL operate.
So yes I would assume they would be paying for your licences under the apprenticeship.
Most DHL sites have a warehouse to wheels budget for licence acquisitions.
simcor:
adam277:
I’ve read the add twice now am I being dumb or does it actually state anywhere that they actually front the cost for the licences. You would think they would include that in there. It states you will be working to achieve your licences but do they not pay for it?
The way I’m reading it seems to me that they expect you to pay for it and will give you a pay rise upon completion of cat c and c+eJust going by the unit titles of the apprenticeship all of that can be achieved without requiring a HGV licence.
Most likely paid for under the wheels to warehouse scheme that DHL operate.
So yes I would assume they would be paying for your licences under the apprenticeship.Most DHL sites have a warehouse to wheels budget for licence acquisitions.
Wheels to warehouse? Love it 
jbaz73:
simcor:
adam277:
I’ve read the add twice now am I being dumb or does it actually state anywhere that they actually front the cost for the licences. You would think they would include that in there. It states you will be working to achieve your licences but do they not pay for it?
The way I’m reading it seems to me that they expect you to pay for it and will give you a pay rise upon completion of cat c and c+eJust going by the unit titles of the apprenticeship all of that can be achieved without requiring a HGV licence.
Most likely paid for under the wheels to warehouse scheme that DHL operate.
So yes I would assume they would be paying for your licences under the apprenticeship.Most DHL sites have a warehouse to wheels budget for licence acquisitions.
Wheels to warehouse? Love it
Oh dear senior moment again. Warehouse to wheels even. Think before you type is the moral there.
I’m undecided on this.
I agree with tachograph that it depends how it’s structured, though since Mr Smythe is not a fan, it makes me more cautious .
They are paying for your licenses, so that saves a chunk of money and taking you on with a guaranteed job once you pass, hopefully with a structured introduction into the world of work once you have that license in your hand. That’s worth a lot and no reason why they shouldn’t expect something back for it.
As someone who has taken on people under 25 and without experience at full rate, I can smugly polish my capitalist barsteward halo, however our job is such that we have the luxury of sending people out with experienced drivers double manning so they learn from older drivers and we get feedback. There’s no two ways about it, a younger inexperienced driver is a risk, they aren’t as good as someone with experience. I always remember the cautionary tale of xfmatt who took a youngster on, who within ten days managed to knock down a telegraph pole, hit a car and for the finale, tip the whole lot over on the A47.
With reference to the insurance, ours is an extra £500.00 on the excess. So pervasive is the idea that insurance costs more, that I suspect some of the smaller hauliers will not realise that.
So on balance, I don’t think it’s too bad an offer. DHL are not in this world to make your life better, you are not in the world to take an offer you don’t like; all any of us do is enter into an agreement and hopefully are satisfied enough with each other to decide it’s in your mutual interest to work together - that’s the holy grail of working relationships.
Having read it it is 15 MTh long you are on minimum wage until you pass theory then a small increase until you pass HPT then another small increase pass C another small increase pass ce another increase to what in this area is a decent wage ( as we all know up here in the North East wages are a lot lower than most parts )
If I didn’t have mine already I would look bit more into this I know that most of these vehicles are double manned due to the nature of it
It is also out of date as it states March 2017
animal:
It is also out of date as it states March 2017
That’s because the original post was made a year ago… 
From my experience I learnt to drive a lorry and got my licence.
Then I got a job and the real learning started. And that’s driving but also all the other stuff. Learning how to operate the dock leveler and dekit process, paperwork, actually getting to grips with using tacho, learning routes. I could go on. I thought my firms training was good. But even it wasn’t exhaustive.
If an apprenticeship can better prepare a person for the real world of working in haulage then that’s a good thing. Though I suspect even the best course couldn’t cover it all.
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I know the thread is a year old but let me throw my tuppence worth in. A job that used to be a dead mens boots number now can’t get drivers. Even in places of traditionally higher levels of unemployment. It’s dray work, which I’ve done and it’s graft. You’ll be working what we used to call unsociable hours including weekends. It’s not mentioned in the ad but I’d bet they’ll have you tied in for longer than 15 months with a payback penalty if you depart sooner and possibly a wee threat that you’ll be finished forever more with DHL if you do leave. If you still fancy it for sub £10 crack on.
TiredAndEmotional:
I know the thread is a year old but let me throw my tuppence worth in. A job that used to be a dead mens boots number now can’t get drivers. Even in places of traditionally higher levels of unemployment. It’s dray work, which I’ve done and it’s graft. You’ll be working what we used to call unsociable hours including weekends. It’s not mentioned in the ad but I’d bet they’ll have you tied in for longer than 15 months with a payback penalty if you depart sooner and possibly a wee threat that you’ll be finished forever more with DHL if you do leave. If you still fancy it for sub £10 crack on.
I agree with you on this, doing dray work atm our 7.5t drivers are on above £10ph class 2 slightly higher but I wouldnt be wanting to do it for any less it keeps you fit I will say that. So doing an apprenticeship to be a paid less for the same graft seems wrong.