The Return of ORDIT – Was It Worth Waiting For?
My ORDIT journey started in early 2019. I knew the DVSA had already planned to make changes to the inspection process, and I decided to wait for those changes to be implemented before I applied. That was a decision I later regretted – as we all know, 2020 and most of 2021 were somewhat of a write off and delayed me taking my ORDIT inspection by over two years. So, was it worth the wait?
ORDIT is the official register of driving instructor training. This qualification is voluntary, but is recommended by the DVSA for those who wish to teach other people to be driving instructors.
I managed to get my application for my ORDIT inspection sent off in 2020 while we were in the first of the many lockdowns. The team at ORDIT were very good at keeping me updated as and when they were. Although the question was being asked at many different meetings by many different organisations and associations, the DVSA’s default answer to when ORDIT would be back up and running was “we’re working on it”. In June of this year, I received a call from the ORDIT team to tell me that my application was being passed onto the examiner, and in November I finally received a call from the ADI manager who would be taking my inspection.
My first phone call was to touch base and to talk through the whole process. The examiner was very helpful in explaining what to expect. Instead of examining the paperwork on the day, it is now done prior to the inspection. This means that any amendments that are needed can be sorted beforehand.
My paperwork was sent off to the examiner the following week and a date for my engagement call was set. On the engagement call, we discussed any queries or questions I had, as well as the content of my paperwork and training logs. The examiner was kind enough to run through how an engagement call for a standards check would work and what may be discussed. We also arranged a date for the inspection and a day or so later I received email confirmation of this.
On the day of the inspection, myself and my trainee turned up about 5 minutes before the test. I explained to the examiner who the trainee was and gave them a brief overview of what the plan for the lesson would be. The examiner then asked the trainee to join us.
Once my trainee joined us back in the car, we started the lesson off by discussing his recent part 3 fail and working out exactly what the plan would be and how we could achieve this in the time frame we had. The inspection is expected to last for around an hour. After around a 15-minute conversation, we had our plan. The session flew by and within no time, we were heading back to the test centre. The examiner listened to debrief and reflection between me and the trainee before going back into the office. Around 15-minuites later, the examiner came back over to the car and asked the trainee to wait in the waiting room once again while I received my result and debrief.
This was a great opportunity to talk to the examiner and ask any further questions I had about my inspection. I am pleased to say I passed!
So, is ORDIT worth the hassle and cost?
For me, yes! My inspection was confirmation that my training methods are to the highest standards; it pushed me to develop my training and validated my opinions as to what I feel is a successful training session. With less than 200 people currently on ORDIT, I feel this is a worth while accolade to have as it helps me to stand out as trainer. It is also the only qualification for training driving instructors that is recommended by the DVSA which means I can use ORDIT in the promotional materials for my business. The ORDIT team were helpful, responsive and my examiner gave me detailed positive feedback that I felt could be applied moving forward.
Sometimes as a trainer it can be difficult to hold up a mirror and reflect on how we teach, I think ORDIT is a valuable tool that even experienced trainers can use to develop their practise. Every day is a day to learn, and I don’t ever feel that I am ever at the top of the tree – but ORDIT was a worthwhile branch to climb.