Route to Success - North East

About the course

Thinking about a career in bus and coach driving? Route to Success is a free four-day course that shows you what the job involves and gets you ready for the next step.

You’ll get a real feel for what it means to drive for a living - the good, the challenging, and everything in between - so you’ll know exactly what you’re signing up for.

What’s included:

• A fully funded four-day introductory course
• Hands-on time with a demonstration bus and a virtual work trial
• Customer service training
• Help finding your next role
• An interview with a local employer

After the course, you have the potential to move on to full PCV licence training with us, or a referral to a local bus operator

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Why drive buses for a living?

• Competitive, dependable pay
• Full-time hours you can rely on
• No two shifts are the same
• A job built around people
• A genuine role in your local community

Route to Success is funded by North East Mayor Kim McGuinness heads the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority, (North East MSA) serving an area of 2.2 million people including County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland. For more information visit: www.northeast-ca.gov.uk.

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What you'll cover on the Route to Success course:

• Setting the record straight. Bus driving comes with a lot of assumptions. We’ll separate the myths from reality, so you know exactly what the job involves.
• Getting to grips with PCVs. Passenger-carrying vehicles handle differently to cars - we’ll walk you through what changes and what you’ll need to learn.
• Theory test preparation. An introduction to the theory and hazard perception tests. Your tests are booked and taken separately.
• Handling the tough days. Every job has its challenges. We’ll cover the common ones drivers face and build your toolkit for staying steady under pressure.
• It’s a people job too. Driving is only half the role. You’ll practise delivering great service in realistic passenger scenarios.
• Interview-ready. Sharpen your communication and employability skills to help you land a great career and settle in fast.
• Learning by doing. Get hands-on with a demonstration vehicle and try a virtual work trial.
• Who you’ll work alongside. Understand the wider network of people and organisations that keep passenger transport moving.
  

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Your Route to Success

At the end of the four days, you'll:

• know whether bus driving is right for you
• have a clear picture of the role and opportunities available
• develop confidence, resilience, and communication skills
• be considered to move on to hands-on bus driving training

Is this for you?

Whether you're out of work and ready for a fresh start, or in a job but ready for something new, Route to Success is open to you. You'll need to:

• be 19 or over.
• live in the North East.
• hold a full, valid UK car driving licence (Category B).

Nothing else needed - we'll teach you the rest.

Apply today