Charity Providing Forklift Training for African Companies

Some African charities provide relief by way of food, medical supplies, and clothing. Others help the continent by offering support services such as education and care for orphans. However, one charity, an organisation known as Transaid, is doing something very few others are: providing free forklift training for African companies and their workers. The training is making for a safer working environment in a world that is just beginning to explore the possibilities of industrialisation.

The National Institute of Training (NIT) in Tanzania is just one of the organisations benefiting from the training programme. Experienced forklift operators and trainers from Britain have been working with NIT and Transaid to provide training to locals who can then train others down the road. Volunteers speak of being surprised to see the extent to which individuals will go to receive the training. For example, it is not unusual for students to walk for miles to the NIT facility just to receive training. It is that important to them.

As countries on the African continent embrace industrialisation as part of their economic development, there will be a greater need for forklift capabilities. That will provide jobs for those lucky enough to get them. Nevertheless, just as here in Europe, providing those workers with forklift training is essential to maintaining a safe working environment for everyone involved. In fact, the need for proper training may be even more necessary in Africa.

Consider the fact that most of Africa’s smaller towns and villages do not have anything by way of established infrastructure. Driving a forklift in some environments may involve operating in areas in which there are no concrete pads or purpose-built freight yards. Operators will likely be running their forklifts in less-than-perfect environments, such as muddy fields for example. Such conditions provide a greater risk for accidents.

Training at Home

Here at home, forklift driver training is not required by law. Yet that does not mean it is not a good idea. Quite the contrary, proper training reduces the risk of those workplace accidents that cause devastating injuries and deaths every year. There is no reason in the modern era to not provide training for your workers.

If you are an individual looking for a job, forklift training and certification could give you a head start over the competition. Today’s companies are looking for trained and certified operators in order to reduce their own liabilities, so having a forklift certificate could mean the difference between being hired and being turned away.

The HGV Training Centre offers forklift training at our facilities across the UK. Our training will teach you everything you need to know about the safe and efficient operation of forklifts in industrial environments. What’s more, our training is convenient and affordable.

In addition to forklift training, we are also proud to provide HGV and PCV training for both individual drivers and fleets. Our goal is to be the number one provider of commercial driver training in the UK, now and well into the future.

Sources:

1. African Business Review – https://africa.businesschief.com/technology/1789/UK-training-manager-raises-forklift-safety-standards-in-Africa