A UK driver trainer has spent three weeks in Malawi and Zambia in a bid to raise the professional standards of the African transport industry.

Paul Dorling, a national trainer for European logistics company Christian Salvesen, was commissioned to share his expertise by UK charity Transaid, a transport development agency that works in Africa.

Liaising with the technical and vocational bodies of both countries, Dorling worked with a group of drivers to develop better qualifications and training for transport operators.

NVQ 2 and 3 standards for Large Goods Vehicles were used as a starting point for the African drivers: “It wasn’t as simple as just transferring UK qualifications,” said Dorling.

“Conditions are so different in the African countries and we needed to establish standards that suited them, not us. So this involved adapting the NVQs.”

Achieving its aim by the end of the designated three weeks, the group had completed the Level 2 Standard for Professional Drivers, containing 11 standards and covering all the tasks to be completed by a driver.

Chris Saunders, CEO of Transaid, praised Paul’s efforts: “Paul’s technical expertise was invaluable, but what was equally important was the way he adapted to a very different working environment.

“He let the group do their own thinking and brought the best out of their ideas and experience to arrive at the starting point for a set of Malawian and Zambian standards - not an easy thing to do.”

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