SimonB:
We do training for Advantage as I’ve mentioned before.
Some of it is the Jobcentre guys. You will get your training and the Jobcentre won’t pay them until it’s complete.
They have a bad rep - but train over 1000 a month successfully without any issue. The Jobcentre deal is good as it’s cheap for them £1999 for both C & C+E (16hrs for each course + theory test software, both theory tests all included). The jobcentre get it cheap as they book 100’s of courses a year with them - so a good deal for the jobcentre and the customer.
Si.
Hi SimonB,
I’d like to ask you a similar question to the one that Burnie1 has asked…
Would you care to tell us the first time pass rate (as a %) of “Jobcentre deal” trainees taking their Cat C test after 16 hrs of training please?
I’d agree that 16 hrs are possibly sufficient when upgrading from C to C+E, but I really don’t think “over 1000 a month successfully without any issue” relates to first time passes on Cat C after 16hrs tuition… does it?
Somebody please tell me this is a wind up? ADVANTAGE HGV? Are you SERIOUS?! ISnt this where the man threatened to blow the place up? How can these con artists be allowed to continue ripping people off?!
Best of luck with your training your gona need it!
I’d like to ask you a similar question to the one that Burnie1 has asked…
Would you care to tell us the first time pass rate (as a %) of “Jobcentre deal” trainees taking their Cat C test after 16 hrs of training please?
I’d agree that 16 hrs are possibly sufficient when upgrading from C to C+E, but I really don’t think “over 1000 a month successfully without any issue” relates to first time passes on Cat C after 16hrs tuition… does it?
I think it’s about 1 in 2 passing 1st time. 4hrs a day for 4 days then test is usually ok…it depends on the instructor more than the trainee as to whether 16hrs is enough.
The jobcentre people are great to train! They understand they’ve been given a chance (they lose benefits to take funding for the course i think) - so they concentrate, they try hard and they do well! If they fail, usually the jobcentre pay for a retest and they pass 2nd time more often than not.
The ‘1000 a month’ is based on their figures. The guy who tried to blow himself up actually had a 20hr course and 3x retests. The last examiner report (when he failed within 10mins of taking the test) said that he shouldn’t be allowed on the road.
I’m not defending them - just saying that most of the time things go smoothly and they do deliver the training at centres that are highly rated.
Si
Hi SimonB,
Thanks for your answer. I’m neither defending nor attacking.
My interest arose from the premise that the Jobcenter seem to think that 16 hrs is enough to get somebody’s driving to the standard needed for a Cat C pass in only 16hrs.
From my own experience of training candidates on Cat C, I’d say that 24hrs of tuition is a fair average, and I’m pretty confident that you’d agree that the figure that you’ve kindly given tends to suggest that the first time pass rate on Cat C would be a better % if the candidate had 24hrs rather than (IMHO) a rather skimpy 16hrs.
The whole reason that any trainer is doing training is for the candidate, so I’m simply saying that this “Jobcenter deal” doesn’t have the candidate’s best interests as a core value. Just to be clear, my point is the same whether (or not) a broker is involved.
Simon B.
You say you do work with Advantage but didn’t you used to be employed direct by them? You always seem to be speaking very highly of them and defending them at every opportunity. This is the company that went under owing 250,000 to the tax man.
Are you still looking for a job from them or something?
You should not really be commenting on a criminal case that has yet to be heard. Isn’t that contempt of court? The truth will out at the court anyway.
The Job Centre use Advantage because Advantage pitch up as the cheapest. They do this by not offering a full 5 day course. 4 days is about all you get and the test is normally on the 4th day.
Diesel Dave and Bernie1 have a point about test results. Be nice to have facts and figures from you rather than your own personal opinion.
Specialised Training Services is the new Advantage Training Services. Specialised bought up the Advantage HGV name, website etc. That is why when you call Specialised Training Services they call themselves Advantage HGV.
Sam Millar:
Be prepared for some stick for getting it funded through the Job Centre, the [zb] I had to put up with on here because I got my C funded was unreal.
I didn’t know that Sam (that you took some stick on here). Although I don’t condone the market being flooded with drivers just to make the government figures look better, I find it hard to understand why anyone would blame you for the way you got out of being unemployed. I wish they had paid for mine - I could handle a lot of ‘stick’ to save something like £2500.
Alan
It is amazing that a company can go bust owing all that money in tax then the directors start a new business and get the government giving them money the fund their new venture!
I really cannot see the value for money to the tax payer in all this
burnie1:
I find it hard to see how anyone can run a decent training operation charging just £35 per hour!
Martin runs a very DECENT training operation, he is happy charging this rate and i am happy paying his rate, i passed C first time with 11hrs training.
There is another company who charges £2000 for the same service, which one would you pay?
forgot to mention it was not with Advantage hgv
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