The department of Business, Innovation &Skills (BIS) has set
up a system of awards for those who have made an outstanding
contribution and commitment to workplace training. It was organised
on their behalf by UK Skills.
Tony Norbury used to be a taxi/private hire driver on the
Wirral. He has now been with Merseytravel for over 3 years, and now
works in the training development arm of the company – Merseylearn
as Transport Learning Support worker as part of the unionlearning
funded initiative Merseylearn in partnership with Unite the
Union
How are these two related? Well, guess who got an award from
BIS??? Yes Tony.
You could say that Tony has had a very ordinary life. He started
work doing YTS schemes in ASDA & Cammel Lairds, moved on to
work for Vauxhall motors as a junior operator. He did this for
around 6 years. From there he decided to join the publicans’ trade
and worked as an assistant manager for about 3 years with Whitbread
until 1992. He then started work as a taxi/private hire driver on
the Wirral. Nothing out of the ordinary you would have thought.
Tony went to the local school in Rockferry. He left at 16. He is
married to Janice Claire, they have 6 children – 3 still at home
and supports Liverpool FC & Tranmere Rovers. He helps with
local children’s football teams and is into fitness and running; -
nothing strange there then.
He is also an active trade unionist in Unite the Union, and
chair of his local branch of the Labour Party. You may say that
this social attitude is sadly less common these days. As a trade
unionist he goes to branch meetings. Boy, are his colleagues glad
he does.
One issue that kept raising its head each year was that of new
temporary drivers being taken on each Christmas. There had poor
private hire and taxi knowledge and skills. This was no fault of
their own as they were inexperienced in many aspects of taxi
driving. It caused problems for all. Regular customers were being
put off by poor customer service and practice. New drivers were
putting themselves and customers at unnecessary risk through
ignorance of best practice. This was bad for both new and
experienced drivers and the employers in the long term and the
regular customer base was being lost.
Following a particularly heated discussion at the branch,
members got together and raised the issue with the regional officer
for passenger transport - Andy Robertson. Tony Woodley (an officer
at the time) suggested that a delegate should go to the
consultation group for Transport Planning – the ‘Integrated
Transport Forum’.
What Tony said was
“Having done the job for 15 years, me and the members could see the
need for more professional working practices, training and
knowledge.”
From this small acorn a great learning oak has grown.
Tony took up the challenge. The forum listened and saw the sense
in addressing these problems. The Taxi Task & Finish group was
given the remit of developing vocational & non-vocational
training for Taxi & Private Hire drivers licensed by the 5
Licensing authorities of Liverpool; St Helens; Knowlsley; Sefton
and Wirral. Tony became a driving force so to speak.
It wasn’t all plain sailing of course. The Licensing Authorities
were so keen on raising driver skills; they wanted to rapidly
introduce it for existing drivers as well as the new ones. This
caused a level of concern by some of the experienced drivers –
especially at the thought of sitting a test after years away from
school and education.
Many drivers were re-introduced to learning when the ‘Move–on’
scheme started offering short courses around skills for life (SfL).
This was training around working with numbers, computers and
writing skills. Many signed up to be able to help there children or
just for their own benefit with new technology. The drivers learned
that learning was very different from how it used to be. No longer
sat in the classroom behind desks all the time, and that there was
always support through assessments and tests. That fear element of
the unknown was lost. Drivers realised that training would be
supported until the qualification was gained.
All through this process tony has been at the centre, the link
between the company, training providers and the workforce. He knows
at first hand the issues of being on the road.
Because of Tony and the team, training is also linked into
formal qualifications like NVQ, VRQ and BTEC. Support and finance
was pulled in from the Train to Gain (T2G) scheme and from the
Learning & Skills council (LSC) Go-Skills. It has become a
win-win-win situation for the drivers, the company and the
passengers around Merseyside.
Tony said to me
“It is very important as a union activist and rep that the people I
represent – mainly private hire drivers – got the training
opportunities they need. This is both for themselves and their
health & safety and for their customers.”
The drivers win because they are confident in there knowledge
and skills of health & safety; the law; customer service, and
what to do when things go wrong. The passengers win because they
are safer, have a better experience and have confidence in the
driver. The employers win because they have a skilled workforce,
happier customers and a growing customer base.
The union wins because we get the chance to show how a workforce
working together can achieve real positive benefits for members.
After all, the union was where it got started.
Tony wins because his hard work and innovation to getting
training embedded in this widespread workforce, has been recognised
by this award within the North West region. He was presented this
in a grand event held in Manchester, and was given his award by BBC
presenter Ranvir Singh.
On the strength of this win, he has been nominated for the
National Training award to be held down in London. His colleagues
in Mersey travel and the union wish him the very best of luck with
this. Should he win the National award it would only be his just
dessert.
He told me
“What is special is to see an individual driver grow and access
training through the system we set up. They may have had no
previous qualifications and you can see their confidence grow.”
The bottom line is that over 1000 taxi & private hire
drivers have now achieved a level 2 relevant qualification.
People in Merseyside can be rightly proud that they have some of
the best prepared and knowledgeable drivers in the country. Indeed
other areas are looking at Merseyside as the model for the way
forward.
