Michelin hosts Zambian driver-trainers at tyre safety awareness course

Michelin made a contribution to the Transaid Professional Driver Training project in sub-Saharan Africa, where road accidents are the third highest cause of premature death after HIV/AIDS and malaria, by hosting a training session on 17 March for two Zambian commercial vehicle driving instructors at its UK headquarters in Stoke-on-Trent. The tyre manufacturer’s Sales Process and Training manager Richard Whitehurst oversaw the full-day tyre safety workshop with the instructors, who are employees of the Industrial Training Centre (ITC) in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka.

The scheme focuses on improving and sustaining safety awareness levels and driving standards across the professional driver community, and 1,200 drivers have been trained to date, including many through the ITC. Whitehurst said: “As one of Transaid’s founding members, we are keen to make this contribution to the extremely important work it carries out in Africa.

“We are aware at Michelin that the misuse of tyres can be a contributing factor in road traffic accidents. For that reason, as a manufacturer, we are committed to educating drivers in all aspects of tyre safety, both in the UK and globally. In countries like Zambia, where good tyre condition is not enforced by law, we recognise the even greater urgency for training, and we are glad to work together with both Transaid and the ITC to help fill that gap.”

As well as tyre safety, Michelin led the instructors through a training to train module, including some effective teaching and learning principles, so their acquired skills can be passed on to their fellow training staff and students. The workshop was the second part of a two-way exchange which, in 2008, took former Michelin Training Instructor Nigel Williams to Zambia’s ITC to teach a two-week intensive course to nine driver-trainers. His intensive course focused on tyre safety awareness and “training to train”. Williams, who is now a member of the company’s sales force, said this session would serve as a “valuable refresher lesson”.