The Brussels government is making it easier to obtain a driver’s license as a bus driver in the workplace. It is a good solution to tackle the staff shortage, Brussels Minister of Labor Bernard Clerfayt (Défi) and his colleague from Mobility Elke Van den Brandt (Green) said on Thursday.
There is a shortage of more than 1,500 bus drivers nationwide. The profession is also on the list of shortage professions of each region. This shortage has major consequences for public transport companies, which already have an aging workforce.
“We need to train more and faster,” says Bernard Clerfayt. Today, job seekers have several options to become a bus driver: driving schools, training centers, social advancement schools and a lesser-known option, the individual vocational training courses in the workplace (FPIE).
“This type of training, on the job, is a win-win situation. The job seeker quickly finds work and receives benefits during his training period. The employer, for his part, can train his future employee according to his needs and thus eliminate his workforce shortage,” explains Bernard Clerfayt out.
Driving license D
But in order to obtain a driving license D, the free guidance must be supervised by a supervisor, who can supervise one candidate per year.
The Brussels government has therefore amended the 1998 Royal Decree on driving licenses. The condition of only one trainee per supervisor per year no longer applies if the applicant for the driving license is a job seeker registered with an FPIE.
“Facilitating these training courses for future bus drivers is a quick and simple solution. Companies will be able to recruit more quickly in this profession with a shortage of workers. Candidates can be almost certain that their training will lead to a job,” says Van den Brandt.
This article is originally published on bruzz.be
