FLEET bosses have given their support to the benefits provided by professional training and in particular its ability to prepare them for the changing demands placed upon them by new technologies and legislation in the 21st century. The boost for training providers, such as the Institute for Car Fleet Management, comes amid prophecies that the fleet manager will become 'mobility co-ordinators' for all forms of transport as many of their traditional car-based responsibilities are taken over by revamped local dealerships.

It also coincides with the launch of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association's professional development programme. Support for training came at the Association of Car Fleet Operators' East Anglia branch meeting whose chairman Alan Miles, administration and data protection manager for the Royal National Institute for the Blind has just started an ICFM car fleet management course. He said: 'ACFO has a role to play in bringing fleet people together to exchange information. But qualifications have a place in the real world in giving real credence to the fleet manager's role. A lot of managing directors see running a fleet as a bolt-on job and until there are a lot of qualified people in this industry that view will remain unchanged.'