First Superior Heavy Vehicle Licensing (SHVL) Program for women to be delivered by Wodonga TAFE’s Transport Division DECA

Monday, 21 May 2018

Under a partnership initiative with Transport Women Australia Limited (TWAL) and Volvo Group Australia, Wodonga TAFE’s Transport Division DECA will deliver the first SHVL program for women.

Women Driving Transport Careers was launched at the Transport Women Australia Conference held in Canberra on Friday 18 May, and will be offered in metropolitan Melbourne. This training is proudly sponsored by Volvo Group Australia Driver Academy, who will also contribute by supplying prime movers, and a range of quality transport operators.

DECA’s SHVL program was designed to bridge the gap between licensing standards and professional industry requirements. Women Driving Transport Careers is now aiming to increase the participation of women in driving roles across the Australian Road Transport industry as part of the solution to address the shortage of drivers across this sector.

Simon Macaulay, National Manager Transport at DECA, said that this training will give women the opportunity to enter the heavy transport workforce as truck drivers, which is a skill in very high demand throughout Australia.

“We provide participants with the industry standard skills and know-how. We take them through areas that are barely mentioned in a lot of licence instruction, such as safety protocols and health and safety procedures, road maps, fatigue management, chain of responsibility and use of technology” he added.

Peter Voorhoeve, President and CEO of Volvo Group Australia, said that Australia is standing on the precipice of a serious truck driver shortage, the effects of which will be felt far beyond the transport industry.

According to the Transport and Logistics Industry Skills Council 2015 E-Scan7 report, around 4% of truck driving roles in Australia are occupied by women. The industry perception and the poor stereotypes represent a barrier to more women entering this male-dominant area.

Previous Australian-based programs, such as Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls and Women Behind the Wheel, have demonstrated the success of such initiatives to encourage and support women to enter the transport industry in driving roles.

Women Driving Transport Careers is another evidence of heavy transport leaders’ willing to overcome industry challenges.