Guidance

Set up a Driver CPC training centre

How to set up a training centre and get approval to provide Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) periodic training courses.

How to set up a centre

You must get approval from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to run Driver CPC periodic training courses.

  1. Apply for approval for your training centre - this lasts for 5 years.

  2. Apply for approval for each course that you want to run - this lasts for one year.

You can apply for both at the same time, but the courses will not be approved until your centre is.

When you apply, you need to give proof that your organisation will operate in a professional and consistent way.

Apply for centre approval

To apply to get your centre approved, you need to send:

  • a centre approval application form
  • a ‘scheme of control’ (this sets out how you’ll make sure you provide high-quality training)
  • other supporting documents

Check the guidance on how to fill in the Driver CPC training centre application form (PDF, 499 KB, 9 pages) before you fill in the application form.

Send your applications and supporting documents to DVSA by email or post.

DVSA Driver CPC applications
jaupt-enquiries@dvsa.gov.uk

DVSA
Suite 208, Cubix
Noble House
Capital Drive
Linford Wood
Milton Keynes
MK14 6QP

Pay the centre application fee

You have to pay £1,500 to apply. You can pay the fee by:

  • credit or debit card (DVSA will call you to take the payment after you have applied)
  • cheque made payable to ‘DVSA
  • postal order
  • BACS

What happens next with your centre application

Your application will:

  • usually be dealt with in 15 working days
  • be delayed if you do not include all the right information

You might be asked to send extra information. You should do this within 30 working days.

Your application can be refused and you’ll lose your fee if you do not send the extra information.

Scheme of control

You need to complete a scheme of control. This is the way your organisation will make sure the training it provides is to a high standard all the time.

It needs to give examples of what you’ll do to reduce risk in these areas of providing Driver CPC training:

  • operation
  • trainer selection
  • course plans
  • driver registration
  • course consistency
  • course evaluation
  • issuing certificates of attendance
  • uploading training records
  • where associations are in charge of 2 or more organisations

A scheme of control should include:

  • copies of evaluation reports by external or internal assessors
  • quality control monitoring of training provided
  • procedures for telling DVSA about planned periodic training courses
  • a record of management checks

Download a scheme of control template.

Scheme of control (template)

Check the guidance on what to include in a scheme of control (PDF, 114 KB, 2 pages).

Apply as a consortium of 2 or more organisations

You can set up a consortium of 2 or more organisations to provide Driver CPC training.

The consortium leader from one organisation has to apply to set up the consortium. They must give proof that all its organisations follow the approval conditions.

Consortium leader’s responsibility

As the consortium leader, you’re responsible:

  • for all the consortium members providing training for you
  • if the training falls short of the standard required

Your whole consortium can have its approval withdrawn if any part of it does not meet the standard required.

How to apply as a consortium

You apply in the same way as a single organisation, but you’ll also need to give:

  • details of your arrangements to provide multi-site training
  • proof that the arrangements are effective in the scheme of control

Apply for course approval

To apply to get your course approved, you need to send:

  • a course approval application form
  • a course summary
  • information about your trainers, their qualifications and experience

Check the guidance on how to fill in the Driver CPC training course application form (PDF, 497 KB, 9 pages) before you fill in the application form.

Send your applications and supporting documents to DVSA by email or post.

DVSA Driver CPC applications
jaupt-enquiries@dvsa.gov.uk

DVSA
Suite 208, Cubix
Noble House
Capital Drive
Linford Wood
Milton Keynes
MK14 6QP

Pay the course application fee

You have to pay the application fee of £36 per hour of course length (such as £252 for a 7-hour course). Courses containing a half-hour are rounded up to a full hour when working out the fee.

For modular courses, you’re charged for the total amount of time your modules add up to. It will be rounded up to a full hour if the total time is part of an hour.

You can pay the fee by:

  • credit or debit card (DVSA will call you to take the payment after you have applied)
  • cheque made payable to ‘DVSA
  • postal order
  • BACS

What happens next with your course application

Your application will:

  • usually be dealt with in 15 working days
  • be delayed if you do not include all the right information

You might be asked to send extra information. You should do this within 30 working days if you’re asked to.

Your application can be refused if you do not send the extra information, and you’ll lose your fee.

Create a course summary

You must send a course summary. This is a breakdown of the course content which shows:

  • a list of all parts of the course with references to the relevant parts of the Driver CPC syllabus
  • the length in minutes of each part
  • the length of breaks and lunch (these will not count as training time)
  • the title, length and a written summary of the main points of any DVD used
  • the delivery method either classroom or practical
  • details of contingency planning
  • details of the end of day summary/course evaluation sessions
  • a list of resources you’ll use, for example, classroom sizes, vehicles, videos, IT equipment and so on
  • how you’ll check the identity and licence entitlement of your trainees

Download an example of a Driver CPC course summary (ODT, 16.4 KB).

Create a record of your trainers’ qualifications and experience

You must send the number of trainers for each course, and a list of their names.

You also need to send the qualifications and experience of all your trainers including:

  • photocopies of training qualifications
  • testimonials
  • references

Download a template that you can use to record details of your trainers and their qualifications and experience.

Check the guidance on the details you need to provide for each trainer (PDF, 187 KB, 10 pages) before you send your evidence.

Applying to run modular courses

You can apply to run modular courses.

You can deliver modules in any combination to make a 7-hour course.

You can still spilt a course into 2 parts, with each part being taken on consecutive days.

All the individual modules in a course must be approved at the same time and cannot be added to later.

  1. Send a separate application for each module.

  2. Send an application for the modular course as a whole.

Example You want to run a modular course for approval made up of 2 modules:

  • module 1 - drivers hours and the Working Time Directive
  • module 2 - digital and analogue tachographs

You’d need to send 3 applications:

  • one for each of the 2 modules
  • one for the whole course with a generic name, for example, ‘Legislative modular course’

You do not need to include trainer information or a course summary for the overall modular application. These will be included with each module application.

Being monitored when you’re approved

Your courses and your centre will audited when you’re approved. This is to make sure that you’re keeping to the right standard.

Course audits

Your courses can be audited without you being given notice. This is to make sure courses are being run correctly.

The auditors will mainly look at:

  • your procedures for checking the identity of drivers
  • your attendance registers
  • whether a fair processing notice is issued
  • whether the course is being delivered in line to the approval layout
  • the course duration
  • quality and delivery of training

So your centre and courses can be monitored effectively email jaupt-enquiries@dvsa.gov.uk with:

  • an up-to-date training schedule
  • changes of where and when you will be running training courses

Centre audits

DVSA will audit your centre at least once within the first year of your approval. Your centre can be audited more than once during your 5-year approval.

They can inspect:

  • centre documents like training delivery records
  • evidence of compliance for every site used
  • information held on trainers’ qualifications and fields of expertise
  • resources used to deliver the training courses, such as, premises, training materials, and information on vehicle fleets
  • procedures for uploading training hours to the recording and evidencing database, including password control
  • that you comply with statements in your application and details in your scheme of control

Having your approval suspended or withdrawn

Your approval can be suspended or withdrawn if you do not run you centre and courses within your approval conditions.

A consortium can have its approval suspended or withdrawn if a single member does not follow the approval conditions.

Appeal against suspension or withdrawal of your approval

You can appeal to DVSA within 28 days if you’re told that your centre or course approval might be suspended or withdrawn.

Your appeal will be taken into account and you’ll be told the decision.

You can appeal to the General Regulatory Chamber if you disagree with the decision.

Read the DVSA personal information charter to find out how DVSA collects, uses, stores and shares your personal data.

Published 27 October 2015
Last updated 7 March 2024 + show all updates
  1. Updated the templates and examples with the latest versions.

  2. Updated forms for: - Application for training centre approval - Application for training course approval - How to apply for training course approval (guidance notes)

  3. Updated Application for Driver CPC Training Centre Approval form.

  4. Updated to include the latest version of the application form for training centre approval.

  5. Updated the Driver CPC training course approval form.

  6. Updated the address for JAUPT.

  7. Added guidance on how to evidence your trainers' skills, knowledge and experience, a template you can use to record details of your trainers and their qualifications and experience, and guidance about how to apply for training course approval.

  8. Updated application form for training course approval.

  9. Apply for centre approval - updated criteria for driver CPC training centre appraisal.

  10. Updated 'Application for training centre approval' form to latest version. Updated Section 4: Compliance' added section 4.2.16 to Confirmatory statements.

  11. Updated 'Application for training course approval' form to the latest version

  12. Edited Apply for course approval section - updated Driver CPC course appraisal criteria link to newer version

  13. Updated Section 2.8.3. of 'Application for training course approval' form.

  14. Updated 'Application for training centre approval' form to latest version.

  15. Updated to latest version of application for training course approval form.

  16. Updated the application form for Driver CPC course approval to January 2021 version.

  17. Clarified that modular courses can still be taken in 2 parts over consecutive days.

  18. Updated the application form for Driver CPC training centre approval, the scheme of control template, and the guidance on writing a scheme of control.

  19. Application for training centre form updated.

  20. Updated the application form for training centre approval with the latest version.

  21. Updated the application form for training centre approval to include a new question on the proposed start date for the centre.

  22. Updated the Driver CPC application form for training centre approval and the Driver CPC application form for training course approval with the latest versions.

  23. Updated the example course summary.

  24. Updated the email address to send training schedules to, and changes to where and when you will be running training courses.

  25. Updated the application form for course approval.

  26. Updated the example course summary.

  27. Updated the application form for training centre approval, scheme of control template and scheme of control example.

  28. First published.