TRS training works with retail giant Wren Kitchens, and recently one of their newly qualified LGV driver apprentices completed his course, gaining a distinction.
The kitchen manufacturer is based in Bristol and has several employees enrolled on our LGV Apprenticeship run in partnership with The Road Haulage Association. One of them is Anghelus Istrate who has just completed an apprenticeship and is now in possession of his LGV licence. His rigorous training and assessment culminated in a written exam couple with an hour’s driving test. Anghelus demonstrated a high level of competence and obtained a distinction in the end-point assessment.
From porter to LGV driver and traffic office
Wren Kitchens has more than 250 HGVs operating from five depots across the UK. Thirty-year-old Anghelus started working with the manufacturer and supplier of kitchens as a porter. As such, he worked as a driver’s mate, performing tasks including loading lorries, map reading and delivering excellent customer care.
Now that he has completed this apprenticeship, he is qualified to drive a large goods vehicle. Furthermore, it means that plenty of career progressions have opened up for Anghelus. For example, he has already been working in the transport office, additionally enhancing his skills. Here, his responsibility has involved debriefing drivers when they have returned from the day’s work. As a result, he has carried out the end of shift administration for up to 35 trucks and 75 drivers and porters.
Apprenticeship Levy funding
Anghelis, who moved to the UK from Romania in 2015 has always demonstrated a positive attitude. In light of this, Wren Kitchens used their Apprenticeship Levy to fund his LGV licence, an integral part of the TRS LGV Apprenticeship programme.
The LGV Apprenticeship delivers the skills required to be an LGV driver. Furthermore, staff who do the apprenticeship also get a chance to brush up their English and Maths skills if they haven’t achieved GCSEs or equivalent. The endpoint assessment is carried out by the Road Haulage Association, making it one of the most respected logistics qualifications in the UK. Anghelus obtained a distinction, he says:
“This is a great company to work for and TRS has provided brilliant training and support My apprenticeship means that I have secured a promotion. Of course, there is the bonus of a wage increase! I enjoy the responsibility I take within the team and in the future can realistically consider a career in the traffic office, customer service or eventually training drivers myself. Additionally, I’m considering my Cat C + E licence as that would let me drive articulated trucks. I feel lucky to be working in a large company with great long term career prospects, not to mention being grateful for Wren Kitchen’s management believing in me.”
Role model for younger employees
Chris Taylor, the TRS trainer for LGV apprenticeships, tells us:
“Anghelus certainly deserved his distinction. His attitude to work is exemplary, and colleagues, management and customers all respect him. Indeed, some of the younger employees see him as a role model. TRS helps employers channel Apprenticeship Levy funds and in this way, we offer a clear path to develop the next generation of LGV drivers, including the cost of their licence as part of an apprenticeship.”
Wren Kitchens has recently secured a new development site in Bristol with a new transport depot in the pipeline. The firm delivers more than 2,000 kitchens a week to customers in England, Scotland and Wales. They remain a family-owned business and one of the fastest-growing retailers in the UK.
We deliver the LGV Apprenticeship Standard to the employees of small, large and blue-chip companies across the UK. It is highly regarded as a career development opportunity for the employee and a way to meet succession planning requirements for the employer. Any employer who is looking to develop their staff can get in touch with TRS Training MD Kevin at TRS on 07788 120608. He can guide on funding, making best use of the Apprenticeship Levy, and how apprenticeship training fits in with work schedules.
