InPUT 2026: What the ADI Profession Said
A structured evidence project from The DITC – June 2026
In June 2026, The DITC brought together 23 trainer-level ADIs for a day of structured, recorded deliberation. Eight questions. Four table groups. Full transcripts. The result is the InPUT Report 2026: the most detailed evidence base on ADI training, qualification and career development the profession has produced.
This page is the home of that project. Everything is here: the report, the participants, and the next steps.
What Is InPUT?
InPUT stands for Instructors Prioritising Unified Training. It is an evidence-gathering project run by The DITC: The Driving Instructor Training Collective.
On 11 June 2026, we convened a room of trainer-level professionals at the highest end of the ADI sector: people who train the trainers, who develop curriculum, and who work within the professional bodies and associations of the sector. We asked them eight questions about ADI training, qualification and career development. Their discussions were recorded in full, transcribed, and analysed. We mapped what they said without agenda and without editing it to fit a conclusion we had already reached.
The result is this document, with more planned to follow. The InPUT Report 2026 is the evidence to support both discussion and future change.
The Eight Questions
1. What were the disadvantages of the PST based training system?
2. What are the advantages of the modern teaching test based training system?
3. What were the advantages of the PST based training system?
4. What are the disadvantages of the modern teaching test based training system?
5. What does a potential new instructor need to understand before they choose to start training?
6. What knowledge does an instructor need before they teach their first lesson?
7. What skills does an instructor need before they teach their first lesson?
8. If there was a recommended pathway for career progression, what would it be?
What the Evidence Shows
The InPUT Report arrives at five headline findings. Each one is grounded in evidence from across all four table groups.
The Coaching Gap
The coaching skills the modern ADI role demands are present in the profession. What is missing is a shared, consistent understanding of what coaching is, when it applies, and how it differs from instruction. That gap runs through the entire training pathway.
The Entry Information Failure
The information given to prospective ADIs before they begin training is inadequate. The real pass rate, the real cost, the reality of self-employment, and the professional expectations of the role are routinely under-explained or not explained at all.
A Framework With No Status
Through structured deliberation, 23 practitioners independently produced a detailed, coherent framework of what an instructor must know and be able to do before their first lesson. That framework has no formal status in the qualification system.
No Career Progression
There is no career progression framework in the ADI profession. The incentive structure rewards minimum investment in quality. A newly qualified ADI has exactly the same formal standing as someone with 20 years of practice.
The Infrastructure Exists
Every governance structure and professional body needed to build a self-regulating profession is already in place. What is missing is the will to use them.
Read and Download
The InPUT Report 2026
The evidence. 25 pages of structured findings from 23 trainer-level ADIs on training, qualification and career development. The most detailed evidence base the profession has produced.
Download the ReportCitation: Bensted, C. & Brett, I. (2026). The InPUT Report 2026: What the ADI Profession Says About Training, Standards and Career Development. The Driving Instructor Training Collective. Retrieved from theditc.co.uk/input-2026/
This report draws entirely on the expert contributions of the 23 trainer-level ADIs who participated in the InPUT deliberative event on 11 June 2026. Their names are listed at theditc.co.uk/input-2026/
The 23 Participants
The InPUT event was hosted by Chris Bensted and Ian Brett (The DITC). The following trainer-level ADIs gave their time, expertise and professional knowledge to make this project possible.
| Name | Organisation | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Bensted | The DITC (host) | theditc.co.uk |
| Ian Brett | The DITC (host) | theditc.co.uk |
| Pennie Alexander | DARE2DRIVE | dare2drive.co.uk |
| Suzanne Cokayne | S.A.S Driver Training | ascentiadrivertraining.com |
| Phillip Cowley | Inspire Instructor Training | inspireinstructortraining.com |
| Emma Cottington | UP Driving Training | updrivertraining.com |
| Chris Francis | Bushey Driving School | busheydrivingschool.co.uk |
| Geraint Griffiths | GowithGer Driving School | gowithger.com |
| Peter Harvey | MSA GB | msagb.com |
| Joshua Holleran | Instruct IQ Ltd | instruct-iq.com |
| Rob Jacques | Better Driver Training | betterdrivertraining.co.uk |
| Lee Jowett | Knowledgeablee Instructor Training | adikit.co.uk |
| Steve King | The Calm Instructor Group | thecalminstructorgroup.co.uk |
| Stewart Lochrie | ADINJC | adinjc.org.uk |
| Hardial Singh Matharu | A-Star Driving Academy Dudley | A-Star Driving Academy Dudley |
| Andrew McMaster | AJM Driver & Instructor Training | AJM Driver & Instructor Training |
| Kate Monk | My Learner Driver | mylearnerdriver.co.uk |
| Craig Nickson | Craig Nickson ADI | craignicksonadi.co.uk |
| Craig Preedy | Instruct IQ Ltd | instruct-iq.com |
| Ray Seagrave | Complete Instructor Training | complete-instructor-training.co.uk |
| Kevin Sellwood | Training Wheelz | trainingwheelz.co.uk |
| Brian Smith | On Board Training | On Board Training Scotland |
| Fiona Taylor | fionadrive.com | fionadrive.com |
All participants agreed to their names and organisations being listed publicly. No comments are attributed to individuals within the report or agenda documents.
What Happens Next
The InPUT project does not end with publication. This document is designed to be read, shared, referenced, and responded to. Here is how you can be part of what comes next.
Share the Report
The InPUT Report 2026 may be shared freely, provided they are attributed to The DITC and is not edited or excerpted in a way that misrepresents its findings. If you share it, please link back to this page.
Cite the Work
If you reference the InPUT Report in any article, publication, or professional document, please use the following citation format:
Bensted, C. & Brett, I. (2026). The InPUT Report 2026. The Driving Instructor Training Collective. theditc.co.uk/input-2026/
Get Your Articles or Follow on Work Added to This Page/section
If you produce any associated work and would like it linked to on the InPUT pages, we are happy to consider it. Send your name, organisation and preferred link to help@theditc.co.uk with the subject line: InPUT Documents.
Posted by Chris Bensted
September 4, 2026
