MiDAS DAT (Driver Assessor/Trainers) Induction & refresher Course

What is it?

MiDAS Driver Assessor/Trainer also known as DAT`s is designed for any organisation that wishes to provide their own in-house driver training. It is relevant to volunteers as well as paid employed staff, it covers legal, practical and safety issues and aims to improve passenger safety by providing the necessary skills and information for those who will be undertaking driver training for their organisation.

Who is it for?

Ideally any prospective MiDAS DAT candidate should have a broad understanding of driver assessment, coaching & training with knowledge of road safety issues.

Where the candidate perhaps does not have the desirable qualities above,

TwC-Training would recommend that an annual monitoring & mentoring process be implemented to ensure consistency.

What is involved in becoming a  MiDAS DAT:

Potential independent DAT`s and organisation must be a member of MiDAS, membership is free of charge.

It is essential that prospective DAT`s possess the ability to convey & disseminate information to trainees in both classroom & in-vehicle environment, be capable of making impartial decisions for their organisation paid and volunteer drivers. Undertake a four-day training course leading to Standard DAT and a five-day training for Accessible DAT.

DAT Training Course Content:

The course is modular in design and covers, amongst other things, the following topics:

• Background to MiDAS
• Responsibilities of the DAT
• Planning and preparation
• Assessing drivers
• Training drivers (on-road and theory)
• Theory assessments
• Presentation skills
• Refresher training for drivers
• Setting up a MiDAS assessment and training programme.

In addition, Accessible DATs would cover:

• The safe use of passenger lifts and ramps
• Wheelchair tie-downs and passenger safety belts
• Disability awareness
• Passenger assistance techniques
• Added legal/good practice considerations.

Normally Accessible DATs would have some experience in the field, without that it might be a less useful learning experience.

What DAT`s get from the training?

To be awarded a Driver Assessor/Trainers certificate the candidate would need to pass a number of assessments:

• Driving assessment
• Theory assessments
• Presentation skills assessment
• Accessible DATs would have to pass an additional theory assessment and a practical skills assessment.

Each Driver Assessor Trainer who successfully completes the course will receive a nationally recognised certificate valid for 2 years and a comprehensive Trainer Manual in an USB memory stick.

Potential DAT’s within your organization.

If you are unable to identify potential DAT’s from within your organisation, TwC-Training will happily undertake the assessment & training of any of your drivers.