International Women’s Day - Driving forward with Driving Equality
Here at Qube Learning, we are celebrating and raising awareness of International Women’s Day!
In light of the event, Business Development Manager, Rachael Gallen and LGV Skills Tutor, Elise Mantay, who both have military backgrounds, and are therefore personally aware of working in an industry that is stereotypically ‘male-dominated’, caught up with some of our female, transport and logistics based Apprentices, at The John Lewis Partnership, to capture their thoughts on what it’s like to be an Apprentice in this typically male industry.
First up, they spoke with Claire Kennedy, of The John Lewis Partnership, who’s currently completing her LGV Level 2 Apprenticeship and asked her the following:
1. What inspired you to apply for this Apprenticeship Career Route?
I always wanted to be an LGV driver since I was a little girl, it was very impressive to me; watching drivers control something so big with such precision. It’s always seemed an occupation dominated by men but I knew I could do it just as well and would really enjoy doing it.
2. What attracted you to The John Lewis Partnership in particular?
John Lewis (JLP) offered the Apprenticeship scheme with a lot of support and guidance where needed, I have seen other LGV trainee jobs that don’t offer hardly any support to the trainee or after test care. JLP are very invested in all their driver’s; the Partnership is there to support us and ensure that we are comfortable in our knowledge and continued training so that we can uphold the highly professional reputation our company has. Being a partner makes me feel like I really am part of the business and gives me a sense of responsibility to make sure I give 110% every day and am proud of the work we do.
3. What does it mean to you, to be a woman in part of the LGV Industry?
I am very proud to be a woman in the LGV industry. It shows that times have changed, women are more socially accepted into roles that were previously only carried out by men. There is still a long way to go in terms of gender equality but we have already come so far and we’re moving forward every day. I really enjoy seeing other women LGV drivers on the road because it means there is becoming less of a male dominance. We are all just as skilled at all the jobs we do.
4. What would you say to any women thinking about driving Large Good Vehicles for a living?
Definitely do it. We need more women to show that we are moving forward towards equality. Driving LGVs is a very rewarding job regardless of your gender and there will be plenty of support from existing drivers of any gender.
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Back in July 2018, just 5% of commercial vehicle licence holders were women, but according to an article recently produced by ‘Backline Logistics’ - ‘ 10 Common Misconceptions about HGV Drivers’, statistics show that female lorry drivers are on the rise in the UK and around the world, are you ready to join them?