The government’s initiative to address the shortage of Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) drivers has been extended until February 2026. The scheme was introduced in December 2021, the Skills Bootcamp in HGV Driving offers a lenient and flexible 16-week courses tailored to equip individuals with sector-specific skills.
Hailed for its impact on alleviating the driver shortage, the scheme has now received the maximum funding of £10 million, enabling the training of an additional 1,828 candidates over the next two years. The focus remains on supporting employers in upskilling their workforce, primarily by obtaining category C and category C+E licenses or assisting existing category C license holders in upgrading to C+E.
Notably, the program has attracted a record number of applicants from underrepresented groups, including women, ethnic minorities, and younger individuals. Since April 2023, over 7% of trainees have been women, a significant increase compared to the mere 1% representation of women among HGV drivers in the UK. Moreover, more than 25% of students are BAME, contrasting sharply with the current 4% representation of ethnically diverse drivers in the industry.
