Tessa Wilson, a Graduate Management Trainee at GXO UK and Ireland, has commenced a six-month secondment as a Project Officer for the second phase of Transaid’s Professional Driver Training Uganda project, helping the country to respond to the huge rise in demand for HGV and PSV drivers.
The appointment sees Tessa swap her previous placement at a GXO facility in Kent for Kampala’s tropical climate, working closely with Transaid’s non-governmental organisation (NGO) partner, the Safe Way Right Way Driver Training Centre, as well as local truck and bus fleet operators.
Tessa explains: “This is one of the biggest challenges I’ve taken on and I’m really enjoying the opportunity to work in such a different environment. I’m only a few weeks in, but I’ve already learnt new skills and it is wonderful to be contributing to such a hugely important project.”
During the secondment Tessa will split her time between the training centre and meetings with local businesses running commercial vehicle fleets, to reinforce the importance of professional driver training and the opportunities and benefits of hiring female drivers.
Neil Rettie, Transaid’s Road Safety Project Manager, says: “Thanks to the continued support from GXO we can deliver a level of resource at a local level which otherwise wouldn’t have been possible full-time.
“The value Tessa is bringing cannot be underestimated; plus, we know from experience that these placements can go a long way to helping secondees develop their skills and confidence in an environment you just can’t replicate at a UK level.”
Transaid and Safe Way Right Way have been tasked with training 750 drivers in Uganda between April 2021 and April 2023, of which at least 25 should be female – a goal which has already been exceeded, with more than 40 female drivers having completed the training to-date.
This project is an initiative of the GIZ Employment and Skills for Development in Africa (E4D) programme, which is funded by the German and Norwegian governments. It is being implemented jointly by Transaid and local NGO Safe Way Right Way on behalf of GIZ E4D.
The Professional Driver Training Uganda project is one of Transaid’s largest driver training programmes, currently running alongside similar initiatives in Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia.
Tessa picks up the baton from colleague Abbie Rennison, who had previously been on secondment from GXO on the project. The opportunity to participate in secondment programmes is one of the many benefits open to Transaid corporate members.
For more information and to find out how you can support the organisation visit www.transaid.org.
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Note to Editor:
About Transaid
Transaid transforms lives through safe, available, and sustainable transport. Founded by Save the Children, The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), and its Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, the international development organisation works with communities, partners, and governments to solve transport challenges throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Transaid works in two core areas, road safety and access to health, to solve two of the biggest transport challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. Transaid’s road safety work focuses on influencing safe driver behaviour with long term programmes in Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, responding to local needs for improved training for drivers and riders of trucks, buses, motorcycles and forklift trucks. On the access to health side, Transaid is working with local partners and communities to strengthen access to health services, primarily in rural areas. They are also working to strengthen health supply chains in collaboration with local partners and governments.
Transaid enjoys strong backing from the transport and logistics industry and the active involvement of its patron, HRH The Princess Royal.
For further press information:
Florence Bearman at Transaid +44 (0)20 7387 8136
James Keeler at Garnett Keeler +44 (0)20 8647 4467, or by email to james.keeler@garnettkeeler.com
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