Impact National Training Manager Mark Prickett has returned from a week-long placement at the Industrial Training Centre (ITC) in Zambia, where he worked with the centre’s staff to support international development charity Transaid’s Professional Driver Training programme.
Prickett, Impact’s lead forklift truck instructor for the last 12 years, spent the week training ITC staff in the correct maintenance procedures for a new DP30N Cat® lift truck, delivered by Impact and donated to the programme by Cat® Lift Trucks.
The forklift truck was specially commissioned by Cat Lift Trucks and came off the production line with additional protection against the dusty environment of its new home. The donated vehicle will be used to teach students how to operate forklift trucks safely and efficiently. The Transaid programme also offers local trainers guidance on how to pass these forklift maintenance skills on to others.
Mark says: “The secondment was one of the most challenging and worthwhile experiences of my career with Impact. It was great to be able to help Transaid, and see first-hand why professional training is so important.
“Facing and overcoming obstacles like the language barrier has been particularly rewarding – the secondment has certainly enhanced my communication skills, and made me more flexible in my approach to training. I’d recommend this experience to anyone in the industry,” he adds.
Victor Simfukwe, Transaid’s Zambia Project Manager, says: “We are grateful to Impact for their donation of Mark’s time and skills, and for arranging the delivery of the new forklift truck to the programme. Mark’s contribution has been outstanding, and with the additional forklift truck on site, the ITC can offer training to even more students.”
Impact has supported Transaid with an annual financial contribution since pledging its support as a corporate member in January 2015, and has concentrated its efforts on raising internal awareness of the charity.
This is the first time an Impact employee has been seconded to one of Transaid’s projects, and the company intends to increase its involvement with the charity this year, focusing on the organisation’s cycle events and other fundraising activities.
Transaid aims to raise the quality of life for people in the economically developing world by improving or implementing local transport systems, providing comprehensive HGV, PCV and forklift truck operator training, and promoting road safety awareness.
For more information about Impact visit www.impact-handling.com .
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About Impact
Established in 1985, Impact is wholly owned by Eqstra Holdings and is the sole distributor for Cat® Lift Trucks for the whole of the UK and Ireland. Impact is also an agent for some of the world’s best known materials handling brands; ranging from forklift and warehouse equipment, heavy duty lift trucks, long load handling, side loaders, articulated trucks, access equipment and cranes which makes up a full complement of materials handling equipment. As one of the UK’s largest independent materials handling companies, Impact operates from 11 locations and has more than 250 employees, including in excess of 150 service engineers. It operates a combined fleet of more than 5,000 rental units, plus supports 2,000 customer-owned machines and 2,000 used assets.
About Transaid:
Transaid (www.transaid.org) is an international development organisation that aims to improve people’s quality of life in the developing world by making transport more available and affordable. It was founded by Save the Children and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (UK) and works by sharing skills and knowledge with local people to enable them to put in place and manage efficient transport systems.
Transaid’s core work includes creating transport management systems for the public sector and assisting with the provision of professional driving qualification development and the training of driver trainers. It also assists with teaching preventive vehicle maintenance management and introducing local, low cost transport solutions including its innovative bicycle ambulance. Transaid also helps promote road safety awareness and shares its specialist knowledge with the humanitarian aid sector.
Transaid enjoys strong backing from the transport and logistics industry and the active involvement of its patron, HRH The Princess Royal.
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