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DSA News on CPD

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DSA News on CPD Empty DSA News on CPD

Post by Admin Fri Jan 21, 2011 10:00 am

Modernising Driver Training (MDT)
Notes from Steering Group meeting
Wednesday 8 December 2010
Attending
Apologies
Charles Morton, DSA Chair
Vicki Hepworth, DSA
Rosemary Thew, DSA
Gil Bilshaw, AA
Trevor Wedge, DSA
Aeneas MacRitchie, DISC
Mark Magee, DSA
Richard Grindrod, DIDU
Ian Holden, DSA (items 1 – 4 only)
James McGrath, DIDU
Bob Hannigan, DSA (item 6 only)
Ann McCabe, DVA
Alan Esam, AA
Aidan Jackson, LLUK
Philip Hamilton-Hastings, ADI Federation
John Lepine, MSA
Lynne Barrie, ADINJC
Peter Gimber, Road Safety GB
Nick Ibbot, ADINJC
Tony Pearson, Unite
Robin Cummins, BSM
Dave Thomas, Unite
Mike Frisby, DIA
Jean Marriott, DIDU
Nick Niak, English not 1st language
Vicki Ball, GoSkills
Peter Rodger, IAM
Gary Jones, Mobility Forum
Peter Harvey, MSA
Stuart Walker, RED
Rick Wood, RoSPA
Item 1 Welcome and introductions
1. Trevor Wedge welcomed members and thanked everyone for attending. He confirmed the following changes in roles and responsibilities within DSA:
i) Trevor Wedge is now SRO for the Learning to Drive programme;
ii) Charles Morton is now SRO for the MDT Project; and
iii) Mark Magee has replaced Nigel Harries as Head of Modernising Driver Training.
Item 2 Members update
2. Each of the attendees provided a short update.
MSA – provided a summary of the key discussion points during their recent meeting with the Minister.
ADINJC – reported that they were particularly eager to see progress made in the following areas: Pass Plus and post-test training generally, improvements to the part 3 ADI qualifying examination and mandatory ORDIT.
RoSPA – reported that they had recently moved to a new building and how there was continuing interest in their work in other parts of the World.
RED – following recent internal changes, the main focus was now on preparing PDIs to work for their own Red Driving School. They continued to deliver high levels of CPD, especially fleet training.
Mobility Forum – operating from a network of centres across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, they continue to provide information, advice and assessment to individuals who have a medical condition or are recovering from an accident or injury which may affect their ability to drive. They also work with older drivers. Working in conjunction with Chester University, the Forum has now started to offer specialist training to ADIs.
DIDU – they continue to support ADIs in a wide range of areas, notably CPD.
DIA – they also continue to support ADIs in a wide range of areas, notably CPD and in the creation and accreditation of new courses.
IAM – had recently commenced introduction of a new IT system.
GoSkills – they continue to act as the gateway for access to the Qualification and Credit Framework, although their role is expected to develop under the new Coalition Government. They are working closely with DSA to better align the DSA National Driver Training Standard with existing National Occupation Standards (agenda item 4 refers).
Nick Niak – continues to offer training to trainee instructors, and is increasingly offering classroom based theory for leaner drivers.
BSM – the recent changes to the organisation were confirmed, including the decision to revert its vehicle fleet to Vauxhall. It was likely that the number of high street centres would reduce. BSM is eager to push forward on CPD.
ADIF – working closely with DSA, they continue to provide help and support to ADIs (including non-members) in a wide range of areas. They are also eager to push forward CPD.
Item 3 Update on the Learning to Drive programme
3. Rosemary Thew and Trevor Wedge provided an update on the Learning to Drive programme.
4. It was confirmed that the Safe Road User Award had recently won a Prince Michael Road Safety Award in the ‘educational’ category.
5. It was also confirmed that the Learning Trial would be undertaken in two phases, with a decision being taken on phase 2 in light of the evidence from phase 1. The overall cost of phase 1 was less than £300k, the majority of which was the cost of evaluating the trial. It was explained that DSA were not at this stage able to
share the phase 1 ADI training materials as it was necessary to avoid contaminating the trial and its evaluation.
Item 4 The DSA National Driving Standards
6. Ian Holden, DSA’s Senor Education Advisor presented an overview around the DSA’s National Driving Standards and the ongoing work with GoSkills and Skills for Logistics to align these with current National Occupational Standards. This would see some units of DSA’s Standards being embedded in the NOS. GoSkills confirmed that the final proposals would be subject to formal consultation before they can be adopted.
7. It was confirmed that DSA wants to continue to engage with the driver training industry on the content of the Standards, including what elements of role 7 (business management) should be deemed mandatory. In this respect contact can be made through the DSA website.
8. Role 5 (Review and adjust driving behaviour over lifetime) was of particular importance as it provided the bridge between initial licence acquisition and progression. This applied across all age brackets.
9. The alignment of the standards would better facilitate recognition of Accredited and/or Experiential Prior Learning.
10. DSA would need to consider how to ensure that these messages are publicised to all ADIs and the public.
Item 5 MDT – latest position
11. Mark Magee provided an update on the MDT project. The consultation paper and supporting Impact Assessment have been progressed. The new Coalition Government however continues to consider the full range of transport policies, including the high-level proposals developed in association with the industry to modernise the driver training industry.
12. The Coalition Government has made a commitment to reduce the burden of regulation, and to avoid new burdens where possible. It is operating a ‘One-in, One-Out’ approach which means that new regulatory burdens on business will only be brought in if offsetting reductions can be found in existing regulations.
13. Against this regulatory background, the main focus is likely to be on making significant improvement to the efficiency and effectiveness of the current regulatory framework. DSA would therefore look to reduce the overall number of transactions with ADIs, to increase the number of automated and on-line processes and to introduce a more risk based approach to quality assurance.
14. There was discussion around what steps could be taken to further encourage and promote the benefits of voluntary Continuing Professional Development (CPD). DSA agreed to give consideration to a number of options, including:
· Further articles in DSA’s e-zine and association magazines reminding ADIs what CPD is and around the benefit of Personal Development Plans. Case studies would be used to support this;
· The provision of a template to help ADIs to identify and monitor their developmental needs;
· DSA’s examiners asking about CPD at the end of the check test, and providing more specific developmental advice as part of their feedback; and
· Splitting the current single box on Find Nearest so that ADIs can separately self-declare that they are undertaking voluntary CPD and/or adhering to the voluntary Code of Practice.
Item 6 Particular developments since last meeting
15. DSA had developed potential proposals to modernise the industry based upon earlier discussions with the group. These were still subject to review by Ministers and could only be implemented once the necessary statutory processes, including consultation, had taken place. Charles Morton took the group through the potential ADI and Instructor-Trainer processes as they currently stood.
16. The group were generally in agreement with the potential proposals. The main points arising from discussion were:
The potential ADI process
· Would it be possible to devise a way for the CRB to be completed on-line without the need for a phone call?
· When commenced, the new Road Safety Act 2006 powers remove the current legislation permitting trainee instructors to apply for a trainee licence. The proposal that all trainee instructors would be required to gain a minimum 5 hours of supervised in-vehicle training on-road is designed to ensure:
o that nobody receives unsupervised on-road instruction from a partly-qualified instructor, and
o that all trainee instructors obtain valuable in car experience with a live pupil prior to qualification. It was confirmed that the live pupil does not have to be a learner driver.
· It was confirmed that the new part 3 qualifying assessment would focus on assessing the trainee instructor’s ability to facilitate learning.
· The process of eliminating the need for a separate photograph was welcomed. It was however recognised that the photograph held by DVLA for driving licence purposes may not always be recent. It was suggested that linking with the Passport Office would help to guarantee that a recent photograph was used. It was explained that DSA do not have access to this system and that the arrangements must be capable of applying to all applicants. It was possible that some did not hold a passport, whilst all would have to hold a valid driving licence.
· Would it be possible to introduce a more direct link between successful completion of the part 3 qualifying assessment and registration?
· Had DSA considered the option of moving to a warrant card or similar approach, as an alternative to displaying the licence to operate in the window of the vehicle? It was explained that this might reduce the ability to identify fraudulent instruction, and would also prevent the collection of data relating to the driving tests. It was confirmed that DSA were proposing to make it a requirement for the ADI licence to operate to be displayed in the vehicle when presenting candidates on test.
· It was reported that future fees would be determined by the unit cost for delivering that particular service.
· The Coalition Government has indicated that in the future they want all transactions between Government and the public to be carried out on-line. In line with this, DSA are seeking to automate the check test process so that the system generates electronic notification letters and allows ADIs to book their check on-line. It was suggested that text messages could also be used to notify ADIs that a check test was due.
· Consideration needs to be given as to the qualification arrangements that would apply if a previously qualified ADI wished to rejoin the Register after a gap of, say, up to 2 years or more.
· It was confirmed that the proposal was to restrict to three the number of attempts at each of the qualifying assessments. Applicants would also be required to successfully pass the three assessments within 2 years of their first attempt at the part 1 theory test.
· DSA were asked whether they had considered the impact of the proposed changes to the ADI theory test on candidates with dyslexia or whose first language is not English. It was confirmed that such candidates can already request additional time in which to complete the assessment. This will remain unchanged. DSA also routinely consults the Dyslexia Association and others when making changes to its theory tests.
The potential Instructor-Trainer processes
· It was advised that DSA were looking to remove the current restriction which prevents an ADI from becoming an Instructor-Trainer until they had been on the ADI register for at least 12-months. In future qualification would therefore be dependent purely on ability. Once approved, an instructor-trainer will be free to operate for more than one organisation. This would give organisations the flexibility to recruit in response to training demands.
The Driver Trainer Job Profile Tool
17. Bob Hannigan gave an update on this tool which is designed to help potential applicants to decide whether they are suited to the ADI role and the driver training profession.
18. The tool consisted of a three part questionnaire covering –
· Expectation of the ADI Role
· Personal characteristics
· Current understanding of safe driving theory.
It was agreed that the reference to three parts would be changed to avoid any confusion with the current three part qualifying process.
19. It was confirmed that the tool will provide guidance to the applicant and is not a pass/fail test. It had received validation from ADIs participating in the current Learning to Drive trial.
20. The intention was to make the tool freely available on-line alongside the strengthened ADI14. This would make it also accessible to all ADIs and therefore provide another means by which they might identify any developmental needs.
21. It was asked whether it would be possible to make the tool an integral part of the ADI14 so that applicants had to complete it as part of their declaration that they had read the content of the ADI14 itself. It was explained that it was not the Government’s intention to regulate the pre-application process. Whilst it was the Government’s role to ensure that appropriate information is made available to enable an informed choice, potential applicants must themselves take some responsibility for ensuring that they have read this material before making an application.
Qualifying arrangements for instructors with restricted driving licence due to disability
22. Mark Magee advised that DSA were currently reviewing the existing qualifying arrangements for those whose driving licence is restricted to automatic due to a disability. They were also reviewing the current restriction that prevents such an instructor from giving instruction to a full licence holder in a manual vehicle.
Item 7 The public information scheme
23. Mark Magee explained that DSA would be looking to include a measure of ADI performance in the pubic information scheme. The Learning to Drive consultation had highlighted concerns that using test pass rates would discriminate against some ADIs, including new qualified and those who teach those with special needs or ethnic groups. Furthermore not all ADIs provided instruction to learner drivers, but focused on post test training. Many of these concerns were reiterated.
24. It was generally felt that the public information scheme should be restricted to factual information which can be easily verified by DSA. This could include length of time on the Register and any formal qualifications held. Beyond this, one option was to then include an optional web-link to individual ADI websites. This would allow individual ADIs to opt in or out of this part of the system.
25. The scheme could also identify the date on which an ADI last declared that they had undertaken voluntary CPD, and also maybe provide a short description of the development undertaken. Displaying the date of an ADIs last check test was
also considered, but there was concern that this might have unintended consequences.
26. On ADI grading, there was some discussion around the possibility of moving to a more easily understood structure which would see ADIs awarded either exceeded, satisfactory of unsatisfactory at check tests. No final decisions were however made on this.
Item 8 Membership of the Steering Group
27. It was agreed that the smaller group had facilitated good discussion. It was therefore agreed that representative bodies would continue to be generally restricted to one representative at each of the Steering Group and Working Group. It was for individual bodies to decide who would attend each of the groups. DSA were however content to allow some bodies to have two representatives on the Steering Group on the grounds that it helped to ensure continuity.
Item 9 Any Other Business
28. There being no further business, the meeting was closed.
DSA

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