Catherine Fookes, Labour's candidate for Monmouthshire, visited Heads of the Valleys Training Centre in Gilwern to learn about their work in training drivers for the transport, industrial and construction sectors. Established in 1969, the family-run training facility operates seven days a week and offers various professional courses. These include training for HGV and bus drivers, forklift trucks and machinery, and health and safety in construction courses. In the past year, the centre has provided 531 HGV driver training courses and achieved an impressive 83.5% pass rate, surpassing the national average of 60%. Heads of the Valleys Training collaborates with Coleg Gwent and local businesses in Monmouthshire and has successfully delivered training to 639 individuals under the fully funded Personal Learning Account scheme by the Welsh Government.  During her visit, Fookes met with father and son, Paul Dunstall, owner, and Ollie Dunstall, Operations Director, before sitting in the cab of one of the HoV training vehicles. Ms Fookes said, "Heads of the Valleys Training has played a crucial role in training key workers in Monmouthshire and beyond. It was great meeting Paul and Ollie and learning how their family-run business plays a vital role in our local economy.  "I was particularly impressed by their passion for providing opportunities to others and their drive to expand the business. Ollie Dunstall, Operations Director, said, "Since the pandemic, we have seen an increased demand for our transport and logistics training courses. As a result, we have doubled our workforce and invested £500,000 in additional equipment and machinery to cope with the demand.  "We pride ourselves on our dynamic approach with customers, which leads to large volumes of repeat business. We're always looking for ways to diversify and expand our course portfolio, and we look forward to launching our new construction and plant machinery training division later this year. This year, we began offering residential options with free accommodation available on all driver training courses, in a bid to expand our customer base across the UK." Ms Fookes added, "A UK Labour Government will provide the economic stability that businesses in Monmouthshire deserve."