Put the accelerator on your employment prospects by brushing up on your driving skills

IT’S consistently one of the most advertised jobs each week, so why are employers struggling to find people to fill vacancies?

Mike Cala is a Sub Contracting driver at Mail Call Couriers pictured at The Spit, Sydney. for mycareer section.

IT is a licence most of us have but a job employers are struggling to fill.

Drivers are one of the most sought-after workers in Australia, consistently one of the most advertised jobs in employment pages each week.

It is consistently the weekend top job advertised in CareerOne while more than 1000 job vacancies also are online at careerone.com.au this week.

Anyone with a car licence has the qualification to become at least a courier driver and start their career, with the potential to move up the career, salary and vehicle ladder to drive buses and trucks through experience and as little as half a day’s training for some driver’s licences.

All state motoring bodies conduct driver assessment. There are also independent bodies that specialise in private and fleet driver training.

Among the more reputable national providers are the Driver Education Centre of Australia (www.deca.com.au), Driver Skills International (www.driverskills.com.au) and Performance Driving Australia (www.performancedrivingaustralia.com).

Or, look in your state at the following training organisations.

NSW

The NRMA’s DriveSafe Pro training course is aimed at corporate drivers and teaches hazard perception and low-risk driving. A one-on-one driver assessment is also available, with a written report for the driver and/or company.

Ian Luff’s Active Driver Safety Program is tailored for fleets and government departments, focusing on defensive driving strategies, identifying fatigue and efficient driving to minimise running costs

Practical work ... Graham Fell with his vintage Cadillac works for Uber, a smartphone app service that lets users easily order taxis, hire cars or limousines.

VICTORIA

The RACV licenced driver assessment course is aimed at reassuring fleet managers their potential employee is competent behind the wheel.

Murcotts has a range of courses from generic defensive driving to gravel road skills and executive protection driver training.

QUEENSLAND

The RACQ driver assessment service combines testing of road rules knowledge and a practical assessment of driving skills.

Coastwide Driving Training holds defensive driving courses throughout southeast Queensland, focusing on driving techniques and attitudes to prevent the likelihood of a crash.

Hop on, hop off ... explore a career as a tour bus driver.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The RAA has teamed with Allan Miller Driving School to provide defensive driving courses.

Driver Dynamics teaches defensive driving through to anti-terrorist techniques. The company also holds courses in Victoria and NSW.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The RAC’s driving centre courses include defensive driving, truck/forklift training and instruction in towing and handling four-wheel drives.

Drive Safe WA undertakes defensive driving and occupational 4WD training for individuals and companies.

NORTHERN TERRITORY

SMART-NT teaches defensive driving on bitumen and gravel roads, reflecting the fact only around 6000km of the Territory’s 36,000km road network is sealed.

ACT

The NRMA’s courses are also available in Canberra with local instructors undertaking licence assessments to identify any skills that need upgrading.