Learning in lockdown
Mark Taylor, head of learning and development at the Road Haulage Association, discusses how the transport training landscape changed overnight as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic
Looking back to 23 March seems somewhat surreal given how much the world has changed in such a short period of time.
The first quarter of the year is typically a busy time for RHA Training, and at the beginning of the year our schedule was particularly busy, with lots of face-to-face training booked either in the classroom, the cab or the yard: from Transport Manager CPC, operator licence awareness and Driver CPC, to safe loading, fleet management and ADR.
I recall listening to Boris Johnson’s address to the nation on the evening of Monday 23 March, effectively putting the entire country on lockdown, then making the call to my team who were at various venues across the country and telling them to get themselves home. Everything suddenly stopped.
In anticipation of the restrictions that were imposed upon us all, we had already made contact with JAUPT (Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training) and DVSA to explore the possibility of delivering Driver CPC online; and the following day, DVSA announced that remote learning would be allowed subject to application and subsequent approval.
RHA Training was granted approval for remote delivery, and following consultation with the traffic commissioners, we were also given their agreement that our transport manager refresher training and operator licence awareness training programmes would be acceptable to be delivered online during this extraordinary time.
We’d already identified a platform for the delivery of virtual classroom training as we’d seen it used in apprenticeship delivery, and so we set about modifying our content for delivery in this environment.
Our training managers are very knowledgeable of content, and experienced in standing up in front of a classroom full of delegates – but moving online yet still engaging with individuals live was going to present a different set of challenges, particularly when coupled with the inevitable IT glitches at the remote end.
After two weeks of hard work getting to grips with the new medium and setting up the content for delivery, our first online virtual classroom course was delivered on Monday 6 April. Initially the courses were restricted to numbers of five delegates, so that we could gauge engagement levels. We’ve had three traffic commissioners attend our courses, and have been audited by JAUPT.
The feedback we have had has been very positive, with many delegates commenting on how they felt that this method of delivery was preferable over sitting in a classroom. Since April, our attendance numbers have increased and we’ve trained over 300 delegates on our online platform.
Our trainers have adapted brilliantly to the new environment, and the delegates have enjoyed the experience as well. Our platform combines video with content sharing, stage testing and quality tracking with some really useful features to ensure engagement is maintained.
We now have a number of Transport Manager CPC courses running over multiple weekly sessions into the exams scheduled for September, so it’s also provided a new level of flexibility for employers investing in the development of their people.
So what does the future hold?
Without a doubt, training in the virtual environment is here to stay and it was something we were looking to implement anyway complementing our classroom-based portfolio. I’ve no doubt it has its place in our plans moving forward as it offers greater flexibility for employers when deploying their staff for training, and avoids the cost of travel and hotels as well.
That said, there will always be the need for the one-to-one engagement. On a human level it’s natural for us to work in communities. Eye contact and tacit learning gained working in a group offer a different learning experience; and as soon as guidance allows and it’s safe to do so, we will be back in the classroom.
In the meantime, the virtual environment offers a great way to learn and keep your knowledge and qualifications up-to-date; and it will continue to be an option, because our members are telling us they like it.
