FUNDED HGV LICENCE, CPC & OTHER ESSENTIAL LOGISTICS INDUSTRY CERTIFICATIONS

A major barrier to starting a career is the cost of becoming qualified. This is especially true where a licence or professional certification is needed to carry out a job. 

In the logistics sector, strict safety standards mean professional certification is essential for many of the careers on offer. Some of these qualifications can cost hundreds or thousands of pounds. In addition, employers may be reluctant to fund them from their training budgets and therefore choose to recruit someone who is already qualified rather than create vacancies for new entrants to the workforce.

However, what many don’t know is that apprenticeships can provide these professional accreditations. And for other roles that don’t need specific certifications but require demonstrable competence, apprenticeships provide the technical and regulatory training needed to work in compliance with industry standards. Undertaking professional certification or industry-necessary technical training via an apprenticeship means neither the individual nor the employer is out of pocket. Individuals do not pay anything towards apprenticeship training, and employers normally pay between 0% and 5%.

Here are some examples of professional certification or technical competence required for the logistics sector which can be acquired via a funded apprenticeship:

HGV driving

Professional qualification: HGV licence (category C or C+E) and Driver CPC
Approximate commercial cost: £3,000–£5,000
Apprenticeship: Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) Driver or Urban Driver

Professional HGV drivers are in demand across the country, earning between £27,000 and £37,000. Anyone who wants to work in this role will need either an HGV category C (for driving rigid vehicles of up to 32 tonnes) or category C+E licence (for driving articulated vehicles of up to 44 tonnes). Individuals can gain these licences through either the LGV Driver apprenticeship (category C+E) or the Urban Driver apprenticeship (category C), along with the essential Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC), saving thousands of pounds. 

Transport management

Professional qualification: Transport Manager Certificate of Professional Competence Approximate commercial cost:£1,200–£3,000
Apprenticeship: Transport and Warehouse Operations Supervisor

Road haulage firms who move goods for customers need a qualified transport manager to ensure vehicles are operated legally and safely. The Transport Manager CPC is a legal requirement for anyone wishing to become a nominated transport manager. This certification is achieved as part of this level 3 apprenticeship while developing valuable supervisory and leadership skills. Quite often, this is a next-step apprenticeship after completing a level 2 apprenticeship as an LGV driver or a traffic operator.

Bus or coach driver

Essential professional qualifications: Category D PCV licence and Driver CPC
Approximate commercial cost: £3,000–£5,000
Apprenticeship: Passenger Transport Driver

A category D Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) licence is a statutory requirement for driving buses and coaches, and the Driver CPC is also legally required to drive these vehicles professionally. Both qualifications are compulsory elements of the bus and coach driver apprenticeship.

The apprenticeship is a funded route to gaining these essential industry qualifications and includes training in carrying out vehicle checks, conducting route risk assessments, operating safely in various road and weather conditions, complying with passenger transport legislation, and responding appropriately to incidents and emergencies. 

Heavy vehicle maintenance

Industry training: Heavy vehicle inspection, maintenance and diagnostics, including DVSA standards and operator licensing requirements
Approximate commercial cost: Several thousand pounds for comparable technical and regulatory training
Apprenticeship: Heavy Vehicle Service and Maintenance Technician

Unlike HGV driving, there isn’t one mandatory licence or certificate that every heavy vehicle technician must hold. But technicians play a vital role in keeping commercial vehicles safe, roadworthy and legally compliant. Poor maintenance can put lives at risk and could jeopardise an operator’s licence.

This apprenticeship provides extensive technical training in heavy vehicle systems, including inspecting, servicing, diagnosing, and repairing heavy vehicles and trailers to meet manufacturer and DVSA standards. Apprentices also learn about operator licensing obligations, statutory safety inspections, maintenance schedules, and how to prepare vehicles and trailers to meet the standards set out in the DVSA tester’s manual.

Completing the apprenticeship also makes the technician eligible to apply for professional registration as an engineering technician.

Express delivery and parcel sorting

Industry training: Dangerous-goods awareness, postal regulation, data protection, health and safety, manual handling and equipment operation
Approximate commercial cost: £500–£1,500 for a comparable package of separate courses and workplace training
Apprenticeship: Express Delivery Sortation Hub Operative

There is no single mandatory qualification for working in an express-delivery sortation hub. However, operatives work in a tightly controlled environment where they must comply with legislation and official industry requirements covering dangerous goods, health and safety, data protection and the security and integrity of mail and parcels.

The apprenticeship teaches operatives how the ADR dangerous-goods rules apply within their role, including how to identify and handle dangerous goods correctly. It also covers UK postal regulations and the Universal Service Obligation, data protection legislation, safe manual and mechanical handling, machinery operation, emergency procedures and maintaining the security of items passing through the hub.

Hiring incentive means more apprenticeship opportunities

From 1 October, eligible employers recruiting a new apprentice aged 16 to 24 will also be able to receive a £2,000 hiring incentive, alongside employer National Insurance savings for eligible apprentices under 25. In addition, apprenticeships are now 100% funded for 16- to 24-year-olds with non-levy-paying employers.

With these cost savings, employers are very likely to create more apprenticeship vacancies, which means young people will have more opportunities to earn logistics industry certifications. 

Explore the latest apprenticeship vacancies across the Liverpool City Region on BeMore. You’ll find opportunities with local employers across a wide range of industries including transport & logistics, along with information on apprenticeship levels, careers, and training providers. There might not be an opportunity for the specific apprenticeship you’re interested in at this moment, but new ones come online every day, so it’s important to keep checking.