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Driving Instructors Scottish Council
Lanarkshire Driver Trainers Association
Joining the West Lothian Driving Instructors Association
Another association, another set of fees... Why bother to join this one? This group was originally formed in 1992 when a need was seen for instructors to have an opportunity to meet and discuss the workings of our industry in our area. The West Lothian Driving Instructors Association does not attempt to replicate the work done by any of the national instructor associations, instead we focus entirely on matters affecting us in West Lothian. We also act as a conduit for information to come back to our members from other national groups, such as DISC, the DIA and the MSA. We have had varying amounts of success over the years, but for any type of organization to run well and be efficient takes an active membership. For many and various reasons some people choose not to join and that is indeed their perogative, however it is now becoming more important that we, as ADI’s who can potentially be working very much in isolation, have a cohesive organization that can make a difference to our careers and working environments, at all levels. As a group we are affiliated to DISC (Driving Instructors Scottish Council) who deal with the DSA on a national level on behalf of ADIs. Indeed DISC played a significant part in the change of stance from the DSA in regards to all instructors having to re-sit the part 1 test when the Hazard Perception test was introduced, and more recently were very involved in encouraging the agency to chance its stance regarding its plans to force instructors to sit in on ALL driving tests. As a member of the local association, you can attend meetings at which we frequently have specially invited guests speaking on topics related to our businesses, or in some other way relevant to the areas we work in. These meetings are generally free to group members, though non members are usually welcome at a reasonable charge. Coming along to a meeting as a non member is often a good way to dabble into the group and see if it has any relevance to you.
The most successful meetings without doubt, are when Tom Lindsay, Ronnie Simpson and other staff from the local examiners attend in their own time, often sitting through a Questions and Answers session with us giving (and receiving) some very useful information with regard to the area in which we work. In addition there are frequently useful discussions on the use of various locations in the Bathgate area for maneuvers and reactions from the general public. Visit the diary page to see a schedule of this years meetings and an outline of a proposed list of speakers and topics.
Another benefit is the traffic report text messages that we use to keep the members informed of any serious hold ups in our working areas, that might impact on your traveling to or from lessons (or indeed tests!).
Whilst it is recognized that are sometimes shortcomings related to minutes, agendas, locations of meetings etc, the effectiveness of any group depends on people being involved. We NEED new ideas and thoughts on the business and therefore welcome input from existing ADI’s, PDI’s and recently qualified ADI’s to contribute to the development of our industry. Whilst work is naturally the main topic of the association, we also have a social side, examples being the Christmas nights out, Go-Karting and 10 pin bowling, each a resounding success and a change from work! So, please give serious thought to joining and attending the meetings, our industry is always changing. DON’T BE LEFT BEHIND! Your input via your association may even influence change.
To join, contact one of the committee members come along to one of the meetings (see the diary page), or come along to one of the social functions. If push comes to shove ask one of the existing members. The annual membership is set at the AGM and for the last year was £5 which includes free access to all business meetings, automatic membership of DISC and preferential access to the Christmas night out.
Comments please to: WLDIA Webmaster
This page last updated 09/11/2011
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