CompleteCar.ie has partnered with ISM (Irish School of Motoring) to provide both information and encouragement for anyone starting out on their motoring journey. Learning to drive is a life skill, and one that can be honed and improved over time, especially with professional help and tuition.
ISM has been around since 1961, since when it has been the leading light in the training of Irish motorists, whether they be newly-minted novices, or experienced drivers looking to up-skill or add a category to their licence.
ISM has more than 200 RSA-approved driving instructors nationwide, in every county in Ireland. As well as providing the mandatory 12 EDT lessons for beginner drivers, they can also help you if you're looking to take the HGV licence test, or any other category of Irish driver's licence.
The ISM was founded in 1961 by John Walsh, who taught the first ever person to pass a driving test in Ireland (the test was only officially introduced in 1964). Today, ISM is a second-generation family business, run by managing director, and John's son, Karl Walsh. Karl says that his philosophy is "To create services and to build a team that complement each other. We are proud of the fact that the majority of Ireland's driving instructors have been trained by ISM! For many of our individual customers, the natural pathway is to learn, become qualified and gain fulfilling employment."
The driver training team is overseen by ISM's general manager, Steve Murray. He helps to shepherd the 30,000+ learners who pass through ISM's training courses every year. Steve has been with ISM since 2014 and has a management background in engineering and optimal digital productivity.
Don't forget that as well as training and up-skilling for drivers, ISM can also teach you to be a driving instructor, and is the largest provider of approved driving instructor training in the country.
The ISM also has a Training Services department, which is dedicated to continuous skills development, leading to qualifications, certifications, up-skilling, or vocational further training. This can be health & safety training, logistics support, or lessons in working at height. The ISM also has the largest purpose-built forklift training centre in Ireland, and can train operators, supervisors, or instructors for forklift use. These training courses are looked after by ISM's Training Services Manager, Paul Kenny. Paul has 18 years of account management and coaching experience within Ireland's telecommunications sector. He is an RSA Approved Driving Instructor and fleet driver training consultant and has been a proud member of the ISM team since 2016.
That's not all - ISM also provides recruitment services for permanent, contract, or temporary work in the driver, logistics, warehouse, construction, healthcare and office support industries. More than 527 companies throughout Ireland have partnered with ISM for recruitment. Recruitment is run by general manager Mike Fitzpatrick, who has helped the service to become the number one driver recruitment agency in Ireland.
