• New and qualified apprentices recognised at defence facility in Beith, Scotland
• Munitions site employing around 250 people plays a crucial role in UK Defence
• Part of a two-day visit to Scotland by UK Defence Procurement Minister

The important role apprentices play in driving innovation and keeping the UK safe was recognised during a Ministerial visit to key defence sites in Scotland this week.

Visiting Defence Munitions (DM) in Beith – a Defence Equipment & Support facility which employs around 250 people and can produce, test and store weapons for the UK’s Armed Forces – Minister for Defence Procurement, Jeremy Quin saw the contribution the site is making to current and ongoing operations in Europe and further afield.

DM Beith boasts a sought-after apprenticeship programme, with the latest intake of six apprentices officially starting later this month. The outgoing apprentices had their contributions to UK Defence recognised through an end of apprenticeship ceremony.

During Minister Quin’s visit, he handed over the Deeds for the dozen apprentices who have completed training over the previous two years and who have all been offered permanent roles at the facility.

The Minister also awarded the company’s Apprentice of the Year award to Calvin, who will now be taking up a technical role within the DM Beith Operations Team.

Defence Procurement Minister Jeremy Quin said:

It is always a pleasure to meet apprentices across the country to discuss their exciting and educational journey in Defence and this week to congratulate those who have finished their formal apprenticeships.

We’re pleased to provide these opportunities for technical training and to offer challenging and varied ongoing career opportunities in Ayrshire, whilst investing in the prosperity of the area.

Head of Weapons Support at Defence Equipment & Support, Neil Rixon said:

I was delighted to congratulate our apprentices who have completed their placements and to welcome the next tranche. I’m very proud that our Weapons apprenticeship programme enables us to invest in developing crucial mechanical and electrical engineering skills. The work undertaken at Beith is absolutely critical to our armed forces, and the skills our apprentices are learning are invaluable to Defence Equipment & Support.

During the tour of DM Beith, Minister Quin was shown the in-house complex weapons processing, engineering, storage and deployment capabilities.

As part of his two-day visit to Scotland, the Minister also visited the British Underwater Test and Evaluation Centre (BUTEC) at Applecross, on the north-west coast which tests underwater weapons. He then travelled to the MOD Hebrides range, run by Qinetiq for the MOD, where ground-based air defence weapons are tested and complex weapons trials are run.

The latest data released today (11 August 2022) by the Department for Transport reveals the car driving test pass rate for January to March 2022 was 47.1%. This is down from 48.1% in the previous quarter.

To provide support for learner drivers, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has recently launched the ‘Ready to Pass?’ campaign at www.gov.uk/ready-to-pass. It aims to improve pass rates, which will help to reduce the waiting times for tests.

The campaign gives learner drivers advice on:

• finding an approved driving instructor
• monitoring and checking progress of their driving lessons and private practice
• when to take a mock test
• how to manage test-day nerves – 1 in 10 learners who fail their driving test say the main reason they failed was because they were too nervous

The website also includes a checklist of the things learner drivers should consider when they and their driving instructor agree they’re ready to take the test.

DVSA is asking learner drivers to move their test back if they are not ready, so their appointment can be used by someone else who is ready. They can do this free of charge up to 3 full working days before their test.

Driving examiners had to take physical action in 1 in 5 failed tests

Between April 2021 and March 2022, car driving tests were failed 786,400 times.

DVSA research shows that driving examiners had to physically intervene in 168,583 tests during that time to avoid a dangerous incident. This means driving examiners had to do things such as brake or steer the car in 1 in 5 failed tests.

Increasing the number of driving tests

DVSA has already taken unprecedented action to increase test availability. The latest statistics show that 425,887 car driving tests were carried out between 1 January and 31 March 2022 (up 14% compared to the same period in 2020).

Since April 2021, DVSA has created about 428,000 more test appointments than are normally available by:

• recruiting new driving examiners – this has created an estimated 140,000 extra appointments
• carrying out overtime, including at weekends and on public holidays – this has created an estimated 135,000 extra appointments
• getting all colleagues who are qualified to carry out driving tests but have moved to other roles to carry out tests – this has created an estimated 75,000 extra appointments
• increasing utilisation – this has created an estimated 60,000 extra appointments
• buying back leave from driving examiners – this has created an estimated 13,000 extra appointments
• inviting recently retired driving examiners to return to work – this has created an estimated 5,000 extra appointments

Make sure you’re ready – and delay your test if you’re not

Loveday Ryder, DVSA Chief Executive, said:

We took swift action to tackle the impact of the pandemic and ensure as many people as possible could take their driving test. I’m glad to see the action we took – along with the hard work of driving instructors and our driving examiners – is working, and more test slots are available for learner drivers.

However, with less than half of learners passing, I’d urge them to use our Ready to Pass? checklist to make sure they’re ready – and delay their test if they’re not. This will help make more tests available and prevent people having to pay to re-test.

Official statistics released today (11 August 2022) by the Department for Transport reveal that the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) carried out 74% more lorry driving tests between 1 January 2022 and 31 March 2022 compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Action to help deal with the HGV driver shortage

Changes to simplify the process to become a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) driver to help deal with the HGV driver shortage were introduced by the government in 2021. These included:

• allowing the off-road part of the lorry test to be carried out by non-DVSA assessors
• allowing drivers to take one test to drive both a rigid and articulated lorry
• removing the need for drivers to do a separate car and trailer test

In addition to these changes, DVSA recruited more vocational driving examiners to help make more tests available in the areas of where demand is highest.

The actions were part of the the government’s 33 actions taken to deal with the HGV driver shortage and protect the supply chain. This included:

• making 11,000 HGV driver training places available through Skills Bootcamps
• injecting a major and sustained boost to the number of HGV driving tests available
• investing £52.5 million in improvements in roadside facilities and lorry parking

Industry bodies are reporting the number of HGV drivers is stabilising

Since the government intervened, the sector has started to recover and industry bodies are reporting positively on the number of HGV drivers stabilising.

They indicate that the initiatives introduced by government and industry have started to yield results, showing that perceptions of the industry are changing as a result of government support and more people are looking to train and qualify as HGV drivers.

It comes as part of wider government efforts to help more people into work, since this is the best way to support families in the long-term while growing the economy to address the cost of living.

Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary, said:

We took swift action and introduced 33 measures to support our vital freight sector throughout a global driver shortage and maintain our country’s supply chains. Those measures worked, with the number of lorry driver tests being taken on the rise, and the sector reporting driver numbers are stabilising.

We’ll continue to work with the industry to remove any potential barriers to a rewarding, successful career in logistics and boost driver numbers.

Loveday Ryder, DVSA Chief Executive, said:

We recognise the haulage industry keeps the wheels of our economy turning. I want to say thank you to all vocational training providers and our vocational driving examiners for supporting the changes.

It’s their hard work and commitment that has allowed us to offer an additional 11,197 tests and increase the number of drivers joining the industry.