wdh

Foundation Grant case study – HGV course

A man in a hi-vis yellow jacket stood in front of a lorry

Mark Dodd had been working on buses and coaches for seven years, but in May last year he found himself redundant from his coach driving job for a large holiday coach tour company.

After coming across the Foundation Grant programme on the WDH website, Mark decided to apply for a class 2 HGV test course which he was successful in gaining funding. Here he tells us how the grant has supported him back into employment.

"I was in a bit of a dark place not knowing what I would do next after being made redundant, in the process of sorting various things regarding rent payments and other bills I had to pay I came across the WDH foundation grant, I didn't really think anything would come from it, but I applied anyway to do my class 2 HGV test, thank God I did as I got the grant."

"I found the whole process very easy and the help I received fantastic."

"I decided to go back to bus driving whilst I could start the training which turned out to be a longer wait because of lockdowns which kept putting my tests further back. I kept in regular contact with a community employment officer from WDH about how things were progressing, and she regularly messaged me to see how it was going, I found the whole process very easy and the help I received fantastic.

"I would highly recommend anyone going for the grant to further any dreams they have of bettering themselves."

"I also had to wait longer due to donating a kidney to my disabled nephew, but I was fit enough to pass my test in July this year. I have since started a new job on HGV and I'm loving it, I can't thank WDH enough for the help they gave me when I was in a bad place. I would highly recommend anyone going for the grant to further any dreams they have of bettering themselves. Go for it."