Has the DVSA created a fear of failure and is it affecting your decisions?

Has the DVSA created a fear of failure because of:

1. The long waiting times for tests.
2. The pressure to make sure ADIs have a good pass rate with the minimum of driving faults.

In some respects, the answer for ADIs has always been the same. If we create safe and competent drivers the problem will be solved. The real problem however might be that our client's want to pass their test as quickly as possible with the least number of lessons. This often leads to underprepared clients 'having a go' because they are unwilling to put themselves back in the long queue for another test date. The same can be seen in ADI training.The second point should be easy to overcome; just teach them to drive! However, with the pass rate stuck at under 50%, this clearly is not as easy as it sounds. I believe the problem stems from our original training.Questions that I would like you to answer and think about:

1. Were you introduced to how people learn?
2. Are you aware of different learning styles, Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic?
3. Were you made aware of different types of personalities and how they learn, Pragmatists, Reflectors, Activist, Theorist?
4. Were you given different teaching and learning strategies to help you find ways to teach different people?
5. Were you introduced to client centred goal setting?
6. Can you hold a coaching conversation, where you just listen to the other persons point of view?
7. Have you continued to develop your own training style to match the individual?
8. Was your training test focused ie. pass parts 1/2/3 in that order or were you trained to become a driving instructor?
9. If you were to start again in becoming an ADI, what would you do differently and what would you advise someone else to do?
10. Were you given the skills to promote the DVSA's ethos 'safe driving for life'?

If any of these questions strike a chord with you, you might want to consider an opportunity to reflect and analyse your daily work, whilst at the same time upskilling yourself as an ADI.

Our BTEC level 4 professional award in coaching for driver development has changed lives. It has re-invigorated many ADIs and more fundamentally it gives you those subtle skills to teach 'safe driving for life' and takes you away from a test focused approach to your training.

The DVSA has recognised this course.