LEARNER NEWSLETTER DRIVING July 2015 CENTRE Driving

LEARNERDRIVINGCENTRENEWSLETTERJuly 2015driving schoolsJust in case you were wondering there was no Newsletter in June.New Driving Skills Workbook now in actionBelow is the rst comment we have received about the new workbook:“Good Morning Paul.I have been using the new workbooks for a few weeks now and I am ndingthem a lot more professional and easy to use. The colour coding on the edgeof the pages means its much easier to search for a topic level and having allthe goals in one area is certainly a big help.I also like the fact that we have more paper on each lesson plan to makenotes and write down pupil positives that have occurred during a lesson,which in turn is being shown to mom and dad to see how well pupils aredoing. The mock test sheets are also a very good addition and look muchmore professional than my old photo copies I was using.Overall I think its the best workbook we have had yet.Thank You. Marie”Feedback is always welcome both good and bad.Tutor’s meeting in MayWe had the annual tutor’s meeting which as usual proved very productive. Inparticular a new tutor payment scheme was discussed and has now beenimplemented. New tutors will now be paid 28 per hour for Part 2 training and 30 per hour for Part 3 training with a reduction in franchise fee from 42 perweek to 36 per week. Certain areas will have a slight uplift paid to ensurethe tutor hourly rate is always over the learner’s rate. If you are interested inbecoming a tutor please contact Val at head of ce.

LEARNERDRIVINGCENTREdriving schoolsNEWSLETTERJuly 2015page 2Tutors Jo Pellet and Andrew Sharpe were presented with their newlyacquired quali cationsJo and Andrew collected their Edexcel Award in Education and Training fromPaul McArdle, the Managing Director at the tutor’s meeting. This quali cationwas formerly known as Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector(PTLLS) - rst step to becoming a teacher. Jo also received her EdexcelCerti cate in Assessing Vocational Achievement. Well done Jo and Andrew.Other instructors who have recently obtainedadditional quali cations with BobBelow is a list of the other candidates who have recently been successful inobtaining additional quali cations following training with Bob Morton. Wewould like to congratulate:DVSA Fleet/Energy Savings Trust ApprovalMark GregoryWill MeehanNeil ThompsonMartin FirthMark FisherPaul MicklethwaiteDes Sanchonon-LDCCharlie Divers (now joined LDC)Shahid Hamid (considering joining)Kay BlackburnEdexcel Award in Education and TrainingDaz MilesKay BlackburnGraham TuffeyUnfortunately, funding for the above courses is now at an end. However, evenwithout funding the courses still represent great value for money.The Energy Savings Trust (EST) pay 25 for a 50 minute Eco-safe lesson(i.e. equivalent to 30 per hour). If you are interested in opening the door tohigher paid corporate driver training or eco-safe training contact Bob andenrol today.

LEARNERDRIVINGCENTREdriving schoolsNEWSLETTERJuly 2015page 3New Terms and Conditions of Service now liveThe proposed changes to the terms and conditions under which you operate(see May 2015 Newsletter) have now been made live on every LDC drivingschool operator’s website. I am pleased to say no one opposed the changesand many positively supported them.I know that many LDC driving school operators are already using the newTerms and Conditions of Service document as part of their home visit/ rstlesson to properly set the scene for the highly professional services they offer.The document can be downloaded from the new document section of theInstructors Hub. Please note we did make a couple of last minute minorchanges, therefore, you may need to download the document again.Please take the trouble to read these terms and conditions. In particular notethe following new clause reproduced here:“5. Safety, comfort and well beingSafety is a shared responsibility as identi ed below:a) In the interests of comfort and safety you are advised to wear suitable footwear andclothing.b) It is important you act responsibly at all times and give your undivided attention to thedriving task at hand. Should anything be distracting you during your lesson it is importantyou make me aware of this fact even if it is something I am doing. Similarly if you are feelinguncomfortable or uneasy about any driving task please let me know. I will be grateful foryour feedback and I will think no less of you for doing this.c) In an emergency situation it is important you follow my instructions and allow me to takecontrol of the steering wheel if necessary to avoid an incident. I may also need to make use ofthe dual controls (i.e. brake and or clutch pedals) and thus override your use of them. As soonas it is safe to do so I will advise you of why my actions were necessary and help you to calmdown if required. Any subsequent discussion will focus on what can be learnt rather than whowas to blame.d) I will do my best to deliver any instructions or take any actions (even in an emergency) ina calm and measured manner so as not to alarm you or make you feel uncomfortable ordisheartened in any way. I will de nitely not shout at you or make any sarcastic or derogatoryremarks.e) You can be assured I will not use improper language or suggestive behaviour and/orphysical contact.f) You must take note of any medication you are taking which may affect your ability to drivesafely and advise me accordingly before taking any lesson booked. Similarly, you shouldinform me of anything you feel might impact on your ability to undertake the proposed lessonsafely.g) In the event it becomes apparent you are unable to concentrate due to illness, tiredness, oryour emotional state of mind I reserve the right to terminate the lesson early or require youragreement to choose an alternative learning activity which can still be undertaken safely.”Those of you familiar with the new Standards Check will appreciate therelevance of this clause.

LEARNERDRIVINGCENTREdriving schoolsNEWSLETTERJuly 2015page 4Business is still boomingIn May’s Newsletter we reported how over 95% of our LDC driving schooloperators were either busy or very busy. This has continued to be thefeedback we are receiving despite LDC operators in several areas increasingtheir lesson prices. If you are in an area that hasn’t yet increased the price Iwould again strongly suggest you consider doing this. I have asked bothMichelle and Bob to encourage you to take this action especially in thoseareas where everybody is busy.If you cover two different price band areas we would at least encourage youto go up to the higher price band area and thus only advertise one price onyour website. As an alternative, and/or in addition, think about reducing theareas you cover and thus save money on unnecessary travelling costs/time.Just let Michael know if you want to cut down your areas, charge the higherprice if you cover more than one price band area or if you want to chargemore than the other LDC driving school operators in your area.If you want all LDC driving school operators in your area to increase the pricetogether please contact Michelle or Bob. Remember every 1 extra on yourlesson rate can potentially earn you between 1,500 and 2,000 per yearextra depending upon whether you average 30 or 40 lessons per week.If you are not busy it is probably because you are not following the full LDCfranchise method or you are just getting established. If you are doing OK butdon’t feel you can increase your prices it is probably because you are notadopting the full franchise method - just adopting bits of it.Use every aspect of the franchise method - get very busy and then increaseyour price - simples.

LEARNERDRIVINGCENTREdriving schoolsNEWSLETTERJuly 2015page 5Only about 10% of LDC franchise operators fully utilise the franchise methodand not surprisingly they are typically the same 10% who charge more thaneveryone else in the areas they work (i.e. up to 6 more per hour). They getto this position by effectively utilising the .LDC car liveryLD System, workbook and DVDsLDC Student-centred learning approachLDC driving school websiteLDC instructor hub or the free online resources in the students hubLDC Facebook business pageLDC Google /Maps business pageLDC CPD courses, customer care, marketing and promotional methods.Not doing the above will only disadvantage you and stop you getting full valuefor money from being part of the franchise. The whole of the LDC franchisemethod is greater than the sum of its parts such that any aspect you don’tutilise will disproportionately reduce the effectiveness of the method as awhole. You might be one of those who are busy enough just doing some ofthe things above but why not become super busy and increase your prices byutilising everything? The more you do the more secure you will be if there is adownturn in the market. Trying to get potential customers aware of yourexistence and how good you are after your work drops off is just too late.Free trainingIf you are not sure you are making the most of the franchise method outlinedabove please feel free to attend at least day two of the new induction courseabout making the most of social media, your website, the new Instructors Huband the new Students Hub. Call or email Michelle or Bob if you would like toattend a future induction course for free. Day three would be worth attendingif you want a refresher on marketing and Day one if you want a refresher onfacilitating student-centred learning using the updated LD System resources.Just think how much it would cost to attend a course with similar content?While you attend why not update your car livery at the same time, thosewho have taken the trouble to do this have found it most bene cial.Old classic website style has been replacedJust in case you did not see the email about this please note the old classicwebsite style has been replaced with a new modern dynamic style withmultiple colour options. If your website was in the classic style it will now havebeen upgraded. Please take a look at it and ensure the layout is ok and thecontent is up to date. If not contact Michael.

Daz Miles Kay Blackburn Graham Tuffey Unfortunately, funding for the above courses is now at an end. However, even without funding the courses still represent great value for money. The Energy Savings Trust (EST) pay 25 for a 50 minute Eco-safe lesson (i.e. equivalent to 3