Future scenarios for driving-school owner-directors

Commissioned by BOVAG Rijscholen, Jester Strategy carried out research into opportunities for driving-school entrepreneurs and the sector. The driving-school sector is a particularly fragmented and competitive one. Each year the CBR conducts roughly 500,000 practical exams. Candidates are trained by around 6,800 driving schools, and there are more than 14,000 WRM-certified instructors.

In addition to strong competition, the sector faces a wide range of developments: changing vehicle technology, new entrants, a shortage of suitable staff, the growing importance of marketing and social media, scaling-up in the transport sector, concerns about road safety, the demanding nature of Generation Z, and technological renewal in training and education.

The report helps entrepreneurs to determine where their distinctive strength lies and which steps they can take. Jester also developed a scan for driving-school entrepreneurs to identify what makes them unique.

The results were discussed at the BOVAG annual congress in December 2018. The reaction from entrepreneurs was enthusiastic. Many driving schools are now working with the insights from the research.