00:00 My name is Nigel Bowler. My disability is called right-sided hemiplegia. The umbilical
00:09 cord got wrapped around my neck. I wasn't diagnosed for it until I was about three years
00:14 old. It just affects my right side. I can't use my right arm at all. My right leg is three
00:19 centimetres shorter than my left. My achievement, which is my biggest achievement yet, I've
00:28 literally passed my class one articulated lorry. It's so overwhelming. It really is.
00:35 Having this licence now will give me the future that I need and I've wanted it for a long,
00:43 long time. Because of a programme called Boot Camp, I've achieved my goal.
00:49 I'm Susie Watson. I work for Partners in Bristol. We manage the online learning and the Boot
00:59 Camp. My name's Chloe. I also work for Partners
01:02 in Bristol. I teach first aid, NVQ levels two and three in care and I also am a Boot
01:09 Camp coordinator. The whole point of Boot Camp is that the learners
01:16 gain their licence, they can go into a commercial working environment and all will be well.
01:22 We get them a job at the end of it. Nigel's put it very clearly for everybody.
01:29 He's been really passionate about what he wants from this programme. He's been one of
01:38 the top students, I would say. So you always get people that don't contact you as much,
01:43 whereas Nigel's been there every step of the way.
01:46 Because of my disability, I did have a bit of a shortfall because it took me about two
01:50 to three months to get my provisional lorry licence. But eventually DVLA let me, which
01:58 I'm very thankful for. I mean, obviously I passed my car test in 2014 and I've been driving
02:05 nearly 10 years. I came across this Boot Camp, which allowed
02:12 me to, I think it's government funded, because I would never have found that money to do
02:22 this. So I'm very grateful. It's amazing now that I've got this licence,
02:28 it would change my future. Absolutely. Because I'm telling you now, it has been a struggle.
02:34 Literally. I didn't want to give up until I had this licence.
02:42 I literally cried. I'm not going to lie to you. I was in tears. I thought, as soon as
02:47 the examiner said, "Congratulations, Nigel, you passed." That was it. I was in tears.
02:52 It's a dream come true. I'm able to now pay for a holiday. You don't
03:01 know how much that means to me. It means the world having this licence.
03:17 I want to be a lorry driver. Now I've got this licence, I want that experience. I want
03:21 to be on the road. I want to earn that money. That's all I want to do, is just have a nice
03:26 life, have a good future, provide for my family. He's been a star student from the start, so
03:32 it's been really, really beneficial and rewarding to work with him.
03:36 I'm Simon Arnold, and I'm a Director of Partners in Bristol.
03:39 The boot camp is fantastic. We get the support from the West of England Combined Authority
03:46 that give us a package of funding to support an individual right from the beginning of
03:50 their journey to become a professional lorry driver. So we take people from the very beginning
03:55 right up to the world of work and support them with an interview and anything else they
03:59 need throughout their journey.
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