The Manitoba Driver > Interested in teaching driver education? Manitoba Public Insurance would like to talk with you.

The Manitoba Driver, from Manitoba Public Insurance
November 2010

About 675words
Interested in teaching driver education? Manitoba Public Insurance would like to talk with you.

Manitoba Public Insurance is recruiting instructors in Ste. Anne, Alonsa/McCreary, Churchill, Deloraine, Norway House, The Pas, Thompson, Treherne, La Broquerie, Ile des Chene, St. Pierre-Jolys, Eli, and Sanford. People who are interested in applying can visit the ‘Careers with Us’ section of the Manitoba Public Insurance website at mpi.mb.ca.

Jane Black, an MPI Driver Education instructor for 24 years, isn’t surprised that nearly 100 per cent of Manitobans value the high school driver’s ed program.

“Parents and students are always telling me how much they appreciate the program,” she says. “As instructors, we really are making a big difference in our communities.”

Results of a recent survey reported that, of 800 adults in Manitoba surveyed, 97 percent agreed that Manitoba’s High School Driver Education program is valuable for training new drivers. Those surveyed also agreed that the program helps students be more careful drivers.

“If it weren’t for driver’s ed, some kids would never learn to drive,” says Black. “Without the instructors there wouldn’t be as many good drivers out there.”

Black, who also has a full-time job, teaches driver ed both as an in-class and in-car instructor. She enjoys working with young people (they really make her laugh), and she’s continuously building on her public speaking and presentation skills.

“I encourage people to become instructors,” she says. “The time commitment isn’t that great and there are breaks in between sessions. We get lots of great support from the staff at MPI, as well as valuable training.”

Instructor candidates typically take the Instructor Preparation Course through Red River College, which provides them with both classroom theory and in-car training. MPI offers the same training for some rural candidates they hire who are unable to attend this course due to their proximity to Winnipeg. Once the candidates have completed the course and provided acceptable criminal record and child abuse registry checks, they are eligible to apply for an instructor’s permit.

Throughout the province, there are more than 250 instructors who teach Driver Education in the classroom, or in the car, or both. And while students in larger centres such as Winnipeg and Brandon have access to the program on a regular basis, students in rural communities aren’t as lucky.

Bernadette Lasuik, a Driver Education Liaison Officer at MPI, explained that the Driver Education program can only be offered in a community if there’s an instructor.

“We’re always encouraging people in smaller communities to check out our website if they or someone they know is interested in providing this valuable resource in their area.” MPI also encourages commercial driving schools interested in assisting with the classroom and in-car teaching to complete an on-line application through our website at www.mpi.mb.ca under ‘Careers with Us’.

Those interested in becoming instructors must have a valid Class 5F licence for at least three years and an acceptable driving record. Experience in facilitating training workshops in large group settings is preferred, but not required.

“We work very closely with our instructors to help prepare them for the classroom,” says Lasuik. “We want to help them succeed in their roles.”All teaching materials and resources are provided to instructors by the Driver Education department. This also includes the Driver Education curriculum binder and lesson plan binder to assist with facilitating classroom sessions.

Black says she always feels prepared for her courses because Lasuik and her team provide a lot of ongoing support and training by offering seminars, professional development workshops, and annual in-services. She also appreciates the webinars that help instructors stay current on legislation.

“The Driver Education office is really great,” says Black. “The staff really support us in our roles. They will come out to the classroom to help new instructors. They’re really good like that.”

“I’m confident the Driver Education program is helping to keep our roads safer and it’s rewarding to be a part of that,” says Black. “Parents, students, school teachers, and principals, they all see it as a real benefit. And I think they’re right.”

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