Examination and Administration Services: Case Study 1

To be legally qualified to drive a vehicle carrying dangerous goods in the UK and Northern Ireland, a driver must be in posession of an ADR Vocational Training Certificate (VTC)*. To qualify for the VTC drivers must undertake a course of training at an approved centre and pass the examinations relevant to the class(es) of dangerous goods to be carried.

SQA has been selected by the Secretary of State for Transport and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to provide a tailored examinations administration service to the Department of Transport (DfT) and Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland (HSENI) for the Dangerous Goods Driver Training examinations.

As appointed agents to the DfT we are responsible for:

• approving training centres and instructors to deliver dangerous goods driver training. We also provide ongoing quality assurance, including verification visits to centres.

• providing a secure web-based information management system for training providers (this allows the training providers to access instant real time data including course and candidate information as well as examination results).

• administering the examinations process including producing and distributing examination papers, marking scripts and providing an appeals service.

• issuing results and making arrangements for the issue of VTCs to candidates via a data transfer to DVLA for Great Britiain and DVA in Northern Ireland.

• In 2007 SQA has developed a web-based online examination system for the Dangerous Goods Driver Training scheme. This will be piloted in September 2007 and will be live to all training provider’s by November 2007.

*(as specified in the ADR: The European Agreement on the concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods – 94/55/EC).

Further information can be found by visiting the DGDT pages of our website, or by phoning 0845 213 5278.