What Do Professional Drivers Think about Their Profession? An Examination of Factors Contributing to the Driver Shortage

A shortage of qualified and available professional drivers in the Freight, Transport, Distribution and Logistics (FTDL) sector is becoming an area of increasing concern in Ireland, and across the European mainland. This paper applies a two-stage research approach to address the issues causing the driver shortage and to analyse contributing factors. The findings reveal that remuneration and salaries are detrimental to recruitment and retention. While driver wellbeing in terms of physical and mental health is a major issue, little support is provided for training and education. There is a relationship between a driver’s age group and job satisfaction, and between the length of time working as a professional driver and job satisfaction. By uncovering the variety of factors that contribute to driver shortage, this research provides theoretical and practical knowledge in order to attract and retain a sustainable labour force of drivers required to sustain transportation services

Best Practice in Designing Groupwork for First Year Students

The ability to work effectively as part of a group is an expected skill of any graduate, and is regarded as highly desirable criteria for employability (Mellor, 2012; Rutherford, 2015). Through collaborative work, students learn from each other while also developing their interpersonal skills. Many students who enter higher education (HE) do not realise the demands of their programmes, and their first year experience usually has a strong influence on their entire college life (Ginty, 2001). It is estimated that 20-30% of first year students do not progress to the second year of their programmes (NSCRC, 2014); this finding requires further investigation in order to identify and address some of the challenges that first year students encounter. Along with academic challenges, first year is also regarded as being socially challenging. Group work has been recognised as having both academic and social benefits (Chiriac, 2014). Although it can be daunting for students and facilitators alike, group work allows specific skills to develop, encourages students to become engaged with their programmes and can enhance student retention levels. There are both benefits and drawbacks to group work, and such systems should be well planned out and implemented appropriately (Bourner, Hughes & Bourner, 2001, Hodges, 2017). This project report captures best practice in planning and implementing groupwork for first year undergraduate students