After leaving the University of Wales in 1997 with a Degree in Psychology, Ged trained and qualified as an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI). During qualification, he very quickly realised that there was a need for better ADI Trainers in the industry, so once qualified himself, sought out ADI Trainer Training with industry professionals Mr Brian Weeks, former Supervising Examiner for the DSA and John Farlam of Smartdriving.
From running his own successful driving school in Hyde, Greater Manchester, Ged slowly began building up his reputation as an ADI Trainer and, following a move back to Cheshire in 2002, took up an ADI Training position with a national ADI Training company. However, dissatisfied with their rather unscrupulous sales technique and generally poor approach to providing good quality training, Ged moved on to help set up and develop an ADI Training facility in Liverpool.
In 2005, Ged and Claire founded Active Driving Solutions Ltd, a company which specialises in the delivery of ADI Training and Development, along with SAFED for Vans and Fleet Driver Training.
Ged has achieved a variety of additional qualifications since becoming a driving instructor, including a Grade A at his first attempt of the Cardington Special Test, and a faultless drive on the challenging DIAmond Special Test. He is a qualified SAFED for Vans Trainer, an A1 NVQ Assessor and a DSA Registered Fleet Trainer. He is also an Advanced Hypnotherapist and NLP Practitioner, both qualifications which he considers add valuable skills to his work as an ADI Coach, equipping him with excellent communication and motivational skills in order to get the best out of himself and of his students.
Ged has recently been awarded his Postgraduate Certificate in Coaching for Driver Development from the University of East London, a qualification currently only held by 12 people in the UK. He is currently studying towards his Diploma in Driving Instruction.
In terms of business development, Ged is currently in the process of developing a 5 day accredited Driver Coaching course and a Fleet Trainer Diploma. Both projects will be undertaken as a joint venture between Active Driving Solutions and Insight 2 Drive.
He is one of very few ADI Coaches in the UK to have achieved the ultimate result of "Straight 6s" (highest possible grades) in both his Fleet Check Test and ORDIT (Instructor Training) assessments, purely through the use of modern coaching techniques.
His current focus is on bringing coaching techniques into the industry and developing the skills of experienced ADI's. Working closely with coaching guru Sir John Whitmore and coaching industry specialists throughout the UK including John Farlam and Kathy Higgins, they are in talks with the DSA with a view to coaching becoming an integral part of the learning to drive and ADI Training syllabi.
Ged can be contacted on 07793 531542.
Ged Wilmot & Trevor Wedge
Ged Wilmot & Sir John Whitmore