There has been much talk about attracting young people to careers in trucking, so who better to promote those aims than the young people themselves? That’s the clear direction of the newly founded NatRoad Youth Committee.
The committee was formed when Steve Fieldus, Director of Tansforce Bulk Haulage, mooted the idea at the NatRoad Conference last year. His suggestion was taken very seriously by the young generation, so much so that what began as an idea to attract young people to trucking suddenly became reality in a short period of time – simply due to the interest and drive shown by some younger members of the trucking community who were keen to take that idea to further levels.
At the time, it became immediately apparent that young people do have a passion for the industry. Those who put their hands up to kick-start the Youth Forum are already employed in successful careers in the transport industry, but to join the team, they to make an official submission to NatRoad first, outlining their eligibility and viable reasons for being involved in forming the committee.
The result is highly ambitious team with a clear goal – communicating the advantages of a career in road transport to the public. Noel Kelly, an Account Manager at Austbrokers, says his aim was to deliver “continued dedication” to ensure the group looks at the future issues being faced by the trucking industry as a whole, as well as encouraging younger people to move into the sector.
“While my skill sets heavily consist of insurance related skills, transport and trucking issues remain close to my heart due to my upbringing. My late father, John Kelly, also worked in insurance with National Transport Insurance, but continued his passion and commitment to bettering the industry through such initiatives such as TruckSafe and others through the ATA and NatRoad,” he explains.
“It is my hope I can continue this trend and better the industry with my involvement, utilising my skill set over the course of the next five to 10 years to co-ordinate with our key insurers and training partners to ensure younger drivers are not penalised or restricted by insurance conditions.
“It is also my desire to commit my time and effort, being guided by experienced persons within the transport sector such as Steve Fieldus and other NatRoad board directors alike to make the industry a better place.”
Read the full story in the current edition of Prime Mover – out now.