New drivers on the way, but is that enough?

Now that the summer heat has finally come to us, it is a time when many expectant young people are leaving school and facing a long working life. This year, about 110 000 students graduate from high school in Sweden according to statistics from the National Agency for Education and of these, 3,5 % have chosen to go to vehicles and transport, in Swedish shorten to FT. About half of these usually choose vehicle direction while the other half come out as newly graduated drivers. In numbers, there are about 1 950 new drivers, of which 18 % are girls.

According to the latest trend indicator published by TYA last year, their long-term forecast is that there will be a shortage of 50 000 new drivers in the next ten years. If we look at the cohorts after those who are now leaving, we see a small increase from today’s 3 900 students at FT to 4 300 next year and 4 700 the following year. It is gratifying that the proportion of girls then also increased to 23 %. But is that enough? No, a quick estimate means that if we in Sweden examine an average of 2 000 new drivers from upper secondary school, it will give 20 000 new drivers in the Swedish market in ten years. A figure far from the 50 000 needed.

Of course, there are more ways to train as a driver. Different municipal adult education and labor market education are a couple of such paths. It is difficult to get an exact figure for how many finished drivers will come that way, but according to previous statistics, it is in line with the number of high school-educated drivers.

So even if we add those who have studied to be a driver in some form of adult education, we will miss 10 000 drivers in the next ten years. How do we solve it? Of course, there is no simple answer to that question, but the answer is that a variety of measures are required to interest young people and others in the driving profession. An important part of this is that we as established companies in the transport sector take care of, guide and encourage those who are interested through good internships. Good internships with relevant and developing work tasks in combination with supervisors who have both a commitment and a high level of credibility. Together, we must solve the challenge of filling all empty driver’s seats in the coming years to keep Sweden on the roll.

In the picture you see Max who recently graduated from high school as a finished driver with his supervisor Maja from the then Claessons Transport, now Tempcon Ljungby.