Driving Instructor NVQ - Level 3

The purpose of this qualification is to support centres that offer Driving Goods Vehicles and Passenger Carry Vehicles NVQ’s in implementing the European Directive that will require periodic training for drivers of HGV and PCV.

This NVQ is designed for those people who are either training to become, or who are already working as driving instructors. When you have completed the Level 3 NVQ in Driving Instruction, you will be gaining recognition for your experience in the key areas of:

 - providing high quality instruction

 - ensuring the safety of yourself and others

 - offering a service that is responsive to individual needs

 - guiding and managing the learning process

 - staff and business management

All candidates must complete all mandatory units, which cover essential skills and knowledge for a driving instructor/instructor trainer. Also two optional units, which cover other important skills relating to driving instruction.

Mandatory Units:

1 - Prepare to drive the vehicle

You will be required to ensure that the vehicle you use for driving instruction meets relevant legal and organisational requirements for roadworthiness. This will involve carrying out routine checks at agreed intervals. These checks and any corrective action you take should be within your authority and ability. You should be able to recognise actual or potential defects during these checks, or during the use of the vehicle. When discovering a defect, you should be able to take the appropriate actions, which include reporting the symptoms to another person, or making arrangements for a substitute vehicle with the removal of the defective vehicle. You will also be required to ensure that all the documents related to the vehicle you use for driving instruction meet relevant legal and organisational requirements. These documents are for insurance, licence, registration and where appropriate roadworthiness (MOT), as well as any that your organisation requires. You should be able to confirm that all the documents are available, valid and current. You must also be able to deal with situations where any document does not meet the requirements, which could involve not using the vehicle.

2 - Demonstrate safe driving

This unit is about demonstrating safe driving, it involves carrying out required manoeuvres, maintain appropriate driving control, giving consideration to other road users and ensuring peoples' safety.

3 - Supervise learner driving

This is about supervising learner driving, it involves evaluating road and traffic conditions, directing learners in specific manoeuvres, monitoring learner drivers' progress and supervising learner during assessment applications.

4 – Contribute to health and safety in your work environment

This unit is about contributing to a safe and secure work environment; it involves identifying risks to health and safety and also limiting danger and damage to people or property.

5 - Provide professional customer care

This unit is about providing professional customer care. It involves following codes of behaviour, develop professional relationships with customers.

6 – Facilitate learning in the driving environment through demonstration and instruction

This unit is about facilitating learning in the driving environment through demonstration and instruction. It involves demonstrating methods and skills to learners and instructing learners.

7 - Facilitate individual learning in the environment through coaching

This unit is about facilitating individual learning in the driving environment through coaching and involves coaching individual learners in skills and knowledge and assisting learners to apply skills and knowledge they have learnt.

8 - Monitor and review learner driver progress with learners

This unit is about monitoring and reviewing learner driver progress with learners. It involves collecting information on learners' progress, carrying out progress assessments of learners and reviewing progress with learners.