AI Solutions: The Standards Check

AI Solutions: The Standards Check: As standard check dates start to filter through there is a whole barrage of companies waiting to take your cash in exchange for information....

The Standards Check

As standard check dates start to filter through there is a whole barrage of companies waiting to take your cash in exchange for information.

You have to wonder why, associations are passing the information on for free, the DVSA have made the information accessible by passing on requested information to local associations as and when required, so that this can then be passed to members.

So why are so many worried about the change? Because it is our livelihood, but change is often watered down, the DVSA have said they expect there to be a difference in grade patterns following this, however that sort of fluctuation or inconsistency is more likely to be a result of the hype surrounding the standards check.

CCL, client centered learning is what you do everyday, meet the needs of the client, adjust your driver training to meet their learning needs and deliver a safe driver to the test centre. Now for most of us we would expect to take some form of training prior to a test, after all it is a test of your ability, and preparation is needed as for any exam.  There is rarely an opportunity to have an over view of teaching, and we are generally as a profession possessive of our skills.

However, why oh why would anyone pay to receive free information?  I saw one advert £100 + VAT, I mean VAT where did that come from, if they are VAT registered then they are definitely earning pots of money from our industry.

However, one thing that is clear, we are moving away from three core, which had always been the plan.

There are many presentations available for free, we are running one on 17th May, this includes a power point from the DVSA, what do you want, of course it is an A grade, but just being ahead of the game is enough, it shouldn't cost anything to keep the badge that costs £300 every four years, there is nothing worse than paying for something you have a right to know.

The Instructor

Today I read an article that I would consider quite insulting to the driving instructor fraternity, it starts with 'many instructors', personally I'm quite disappointed by the sweeping generalisation but more worryingly the intention behind the article implies that we are not good at what we do.

Coaching has swept the ADI culture, well CCL has, but many compare the two, and with this has come a disregard for methods that have gone before, however the research I shall be publishing quite soon states that each style has a place and learning by rote should never be dismissed when you consider it's history and success.  Of course, robotic teaching styles may be considered to be out of touch with the modern pupil, they were really always misplaced in the learning arena, but, does that make the student less able, after all these are human beings, thinking people who question the majority of things to satisfy their own curiosity and learning to drive is no different.

So does commanding a routine of MSM mean that the pupil just displays the right amount of technique to be test standard? Only if the ADI explains it in that way, do this to pass a test, rather archaic actually, I meet many instructors in my role and unsurprisingly the educational process, the fact that more ADI's have multiple trainer roles, has improved what is demanded in the environment of the mobile office.

Why, why, why, is heard more now than ever before, schools are encouraging questioning, the teacher is more likely to have a mentor and in many cases the student too, as a life coach I meet many professional people outside of this industry who are questioning the work ethic of their company and seeking change for everyone for the greater good, so why on Earth is it presumed, not proven, that the ADI has stopped somewhere in the 1980's and become fossilised.

I recently spent some time with a professional person, occasional driver, outside of working and travelled in their car as a passenger, naturally I noted their behaviour, useful for my final chapter and saw that their habits were good despite holding a licence for many years, at the end of the journey I questioned their routine and they smiled and said blame my driving instructor I can still hear their voice ringing in my ears after forty years. Refreshing, not unusual and definitely an example to some.

Taking a Pay Cut

Being self employed brings with it a multitude of dilemmas, do I increase my prices, should I advertise, have I taken on too much, do I wish I had more work, and there is nobody to share this with.  All self employed industries bring a stigma with them, sharing productive times and good profit margins sounds a little like boasting and can sit uncomfortably mid air in a conversation when with peers who are not doing so well. The pressure then becomes apparent for everyone to be doing well, back slapping and sighs of relief, is the reality the same in the cold light of day.

It is a fact that new businesses in the UK do not survive as well as in other countries, we are considered to be recovering from one of the worst periods of recession for some time, so how does the fledgling business compete.  Commonly by dropping prices, running offers and sometimes supplementing income with a second or third job.

However I read a post that inspired this blog, culling the register for driving instructors, yet the odds are not on the side of longevity for many who are new to this particular career, unsurprisingly that is a common pattern amongst all trades where training exclusive of career are regular practice.

Plumbers, electricians, driving instructors, painters and decorators, plasterers, brick layers, to name just a few train specifically with the intention of being a sole trader, the business may grow, after all we all have to start somewhere but initially it is about making a living and developing a reputation, so why are so many held back by their limiting beliefs.

There are two trains of thought here, the first being a lack of willingness to diversify particularly if the educator painted a particular picture of life on the job the other being concerned that too much promotion could result in an unmanageable work load.

So the driving instructor, where does new work come from? Word of mouth? As a newbie that can take a year, how do you pay the bills meantime, what if you are predominantly shy and the thought of standing outside a school or college handing out cars leaves you cold, then maybe thinking outside of the box is the first place to go.  The green badge is not just about teaching learners, many organisations looking for in house trainers require a green badge holder.

The future for driving instructors is rosy, formalisation and of course the anticipated privatisation of the DVSA, after all that was the whole purpose of the merger, with the excellent record of VOSA under the control of Mr People's the DSA suddenly became a salable item over night, there is a huge amount of job satisfaction, flexibility and potential attached to this profession.  Like the plumbers, electricians etc, there is work to be found it's thinking outside of the box that finds it.

Can the cheap lesson culture continue, of course it can, whether it will is debatable because price fixing may not be legal but there is nothing wrong with the RRP so we move into guidelines, quality control among others.  Does the provider of cheap lessons want to work twice as hard to earn a living, or would they like their hands to be tied by a price structure, surely yes, what stops an ADI demanding a fair days pay for a fair days work?

Price structure, SRP, RRP, when lessons will be sold as specific courses, this is not intensive courses, but the block booking style of other EU countries.  This guarantees commitment from the client, eliminates cancellation notice as the fee has been paid already, and the likelihood of chopping and changing for deal chancing gone.  However, it would appear that these measures are seen in countries where the driving instructor is seen as a professional providing a valuable service, until these measures come to the UK then the instructor is fighting an uphill battle until all of this is in place.

If you would like to see formalisation to mirror other EU countries, email me at centraldt@hotmail.co.uk and I can add your thoughts to the data collection.

DVSA PLC

It has been quite well publicised over recent months that the Highways Agency (HA) will become a company in it's own right, this will allow the selling of shares, for the Government to retain a portion and for the Agency to become self financing, good news for tax payers it would seem, however it will only be good news if the sale time is right, as reflected in the information released today regarding the Post Office.

So that leads to other departments that provide a service, for some time now I have mentioned privatisation of the driving test, with such a strong push towards each department becoming a stand alone, after the natural trimming of staff, think Rosemary Thew, there is an even greater implication that the newly formed DVSA is a step towards creating a company that is a viable investment for share holders.

As a tax payer we retained a 30% stake in the Post Office, there is of course no reason for the Secretary of State to withhold a slice of the cake to the same size, although as a tax payer I would be far happier if all interests were held at 51% giving us the majority holding. Currently the holding for HA will be 100% but that can only have limited time scale, meaning the Agency needs to meet it's business forecast for the years 13/14 14/15 to make it more attractive.

So, logically, the back office will be deciding what package they need to pretty up and hold out for the share holders.  With the cost of a driving test rising next year, along with a restructure of the test itself, and the introduction of a standards check (quality assurance), the FTSE100 is likely to embrace the company with open arms.

Changing how instruction is delivered, more customer friendly, teach don't dictate, will make for a more attractive proposition, the question has to be can it really work.  With a new man at the helm, Alastair Peoples, the packaging is more appealing solely because the former DSA needs to lose it's reputation and skeletons before it can be offered for sale.