Dulson Training recognised for its commitment to Armed Forces personnel
Driver training specialist Dulson Training has earned a Silver Award for going the extra mile in its commitment to supporting Armed Forces Veterans and current Reservists.
The company is a long time signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant and has just been presented with the Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Silver Award - to go with the Bronze Award it collected during lockdown.
The ERS encourages employers to support defence and inspire others to do the same, recognising businesses that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to defence and the armed forces community, and align their values with the Armed Forces Covenant.
Dulson Training has sites in Shrewsbury, Telford, Wrexham, Ludlow, Nantwich and a satellite centre in Wolverhampton. Its services include lorry and bus licence acquisition and driver assessments, Driver CPC, Forklift, First Aid, ADR and Fleet Training across all regions.
Hayley Norgrove, Dulson Training’s Director of Operations, said: “We are delighted with the Silver Award which emphasises our ongoing commitment to the Armed Forces and to those ex-services personnel and current reservists who are working at Dulson Training.
“To be successful we had to demonstrate how we are supporting those staff in ways like providing extra 10-day leave entitlements to reservists and helping former serving Armed Forces personnel to transition to a career in civilian life with us - including becoming part of our team of instructors.
“It is all about our support for the Armed Forces. We also give guaranteed job interviews to Armed Forces personnel and their partners looking to make the transition to civilian life - that covers any job we advertise.
“There was quite a bit of work involved in being recognised for the Silver Award and I looked upon it as very much my baby! I had to write a new employee handbook which basically details what we provide to those staff at Dulson Training. We also register on recruitment sites which are purely for Armed Forces personnel and we advertise any jobs we have on there.
“I received the Bronze Award on behalf of the company via zoom during lockdown. Since then we have worked towards getting silver accreditation and now that has been achieved our goal is to go for a Gold Award in 2026.”
Hayley said it is not just staff members with Armed Forces connections that Dulson Training supports and the firm has Enhanced Learning Credits Administration Service (ELCAS) funding in place to enable leavers and soon-to-be leavers of the forces to reap the benefits of learning a new trade with one of the leading trainers in the country.
“ELCAS funding is used exclusively to pay for the cost of any ELCAS-approved training courses that will provide a qualification upon completion and we have a range of courses available in this way for forces’ veterans, including Cat C+E Class 1 licence acquisition” Hayey added.
“And it is worth mentioning that we also have adaptive-control vehicle training available - with hand controls and a winch that can lift wheelchair users into the cab of the lorry.
“This training is available for anyone with a disability but has also been used successfully by Armed Forces veterans who have come to us, including one local candidate who lost a leg in the service of his country.”
