Driver Licences

 

A number of initiatives are being developed, with the goal of assisting former refugees to  improve driving skills, increase their knowledge of the Road Code, improve road awareness as a driver, cyclist, or pedestrian, and gain various driving licences.  

Providing related knowledge such as insurance, car maintenance, and drink driving laws is also a goal.

Many of the difficulties experienced by former refugees relate to interpreting and language issues, so this is also an area of focus for the Ignite Project.


Initiatives to date:

• Ignite in partnership with Adult Learning Support is running a Driver Licencing Language Training course for people from refugee background to enable them to learn the road code.  The course is for a total of 100 hours, and runs from 1st August to 27 September 2011.
  
  This course focuses on comprehension of language and concepts needed to sit NZ Driver Licences.  It covers vocabulary needed, and also provides information on 3rd party insurance, drink driving laws, child car seat safety and basic car maintenance.

• Ignite is encouraging people to attend Upcycle - Social Cycling Confidence Classes.  These are run by Way2Go and are funded by the District Health Board & Nelson City and Tasman District Council.  The instructor, Ali Morton, is an experienced ESOL teacher, and can run a special class before the start of the course to learn & practise bicycle language in English.