Government-Funded HGV Training Courses [2023]

The unemployment problem has faced many people across the UK, especially after the Covid outbreak. People are now exploring new roads and looking for new ways to make money. The UK government has thus created opportunities for the unemployed to train in HGV driving. This has come from a shortage of HGV drivers and the difficulty and expense of obtaining a lorry driver’s license.

Government-funded HGV training courses 2023 are the UK government-funded courses that will be offering free training programs on HGV for aspiring lorry drivers.

HGV stands for ‘Heavy Goods Vehicles’. Taking a government-funded HGV training course will make drivers professionals and give them a category (c+e) class one or (c) class 2 licence.

The government-funded HGV training courses in 2023 will focus on equipping drivers with better skills in HGV driving. All are welcome to take free lessons. Drivers who are new to the industry, former drivers who have stopped driving and want to move again, or current drivers who wish to advance from class two to class one can all benefit from these courses. All these groups will be trained in different categories that best fit their required skills.

How to Become an HGV Driver For Free

In order to qualify for HGV training courses in 2023, you must check the requirements on the government’s website. To qualify for the free funded HGV training courses, you have to be at least 21 years old and state that you can work as self-employed.

The government mostly gives priority to newbies who want to be HGV drivers. But if you have been away from driving and wish to come back and learn the skills, you must provide your valid license. The UK government encourages adults to take free training courses in 2023.

All training and medical costs will be covered by the government. In addition to free training from the government, there are companies that offer paid or free HGV training.

Free Lorry Driver Training.

In the UK, there are many options and ways for you to become an HGV lorry driver, the most popular of which is through government-funded HGV training courses.

Some companies offer free training to drivers and give grants of up to £5000 that cover for your training costs and medical expenses.

Private logistics companies also offer free training for drivers and the local council’s HGV training schemes. Most of these local councils give training grants of £2500 to cover the training costs. You have many options to become a HGV driver for no charge, so don’t limit yourself.

HGV Training Grant.

Initially, this will allow more people to participate in the training program.

The UK government has allocated £34 Million (up from £17 Million) for free HGV training since 2021. The amount will cater for the training and medical costs of the trainees and the remuneration of the trainers. The veterans have also been granted £100 000, which will be used for training.

The government is looking forward to 4000 new trainees in the government-funded program. It is anticipated that the government will accept 4000 new trainees in the government-funded HGV training courses in 2023, of which 3000 will be new trainees in HGV driving, and 1000 will be new trainees in the adult classes for former drivers wishing to upgrade from class two to class one licenses.

In 2023, government-funded HGV training will last approximately 16 weeks. After the training, the trainees will graduate as professional HGV drivers who will be issued certificates.

Companies Offering Free HGV Training Courses.

Although the government is offering free HGV training courses in 2022 and 2023, other accredited companies will also be offering HGV training courses in 2023.

Most of these companies will cover all your training and medical costs. There are some companies that provide free HGV training courses, including DHL-Driving Ambition, which offers up to 3000 euros in free training grants.

Health and Safety Training Limited provide free HGV training for people in the North-East; Newcastle, Billingham and Darlington. They mainly target low-income earners and the unemployed.

Pertemps HGV Training also offers free training courses. The minimum age requirement is 18 years old.

When it comes to accepting free training from companies, there are at least four important things you should keep in mind:

Contract length: Most free training companies require you to sign a two-year contract, so you need to be very careful what you sign.
Dismissal: Some companies may require you to pay back fully the HGV training costs if you are dismissed for disciplinary reasons.
Cooling off period: If you finish your training and the company decides to take you as their employee. In case you choose to leave your job, the company’s contract states that you will not be allowed to work with any of their competitors for a certain period after you go.
Penalties: Most companies require that you sign a contract for a specified period of time. Some companies may charge you a penalty if you decide to discontinue your free HGV training.

Keep on Trucking

Lastly, if you are a UK resident and wish to start a career as a HGV driver, or you want to advance your license to class one, you should participate in the government-funded HGV training courses in 2023 that will commence on December 6th. This course will equip you with skills that will help you become a professional HGV driver.

Suppose you missed a chance to get onto the government-funded HGV training course in 2022 or even 2023. In that case, there are companies across the UK that offer free HGV training courses. You are assured of getting a licence and certification after your training period, so don’t be limited to just one option.

Government-Funded HGV Training Courses 2023

perry

Perry Stevens is the founder of BIGPriceDrops and a long-time digital marketer with a practical interest in helping UK shoppers find better value online. He focuses on clear, no-nonsense money-saving content, Amazon UK deal insights, and buyer guides that help readers spot genuine savings without falling for misleading discounts or impulse-buy traps.

When he is not working on BIGPriceDrops, Perry runs Blend Local Search Marketing and works on digital projects covering SEO, AI tools, and online business growth. His approach is simple: help people make smarter decisions before they spend their money.

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