Skills for Logistics is launching a raft of occupational craft skills groups, to encourage recruits into the logistics sector, particularly in areas surrounding logistics activity clusters such as around ports and business parks.
The groups aim to raise awareness of the employment opportunities in the sector in schools, and to support employers in procuring training more efficiently.
“Research suggests between now and 2017 weve got to find half a million new people to work in logistics,” said Mick Jackson, chief executive of Skills for Logistics. “Our target is to make sure that in catchment areas around logistics clusters, people are aware of and want to take jobs in logistics.”
The nine groups are focused on logistics craft skills areas: driving, fleet management, international trade, logistics operations, mail and packaging, supply chain operations management, terminal operations, warehousing, and wholesaling.
Each of these has a chair from a relevant trade body, and will consist of members from a range of employers. These will meet and liaise as forums, identify priorities for action and advise on national training for different supply chain industries, such as construction, food service, and FMCG.
The groups will also help develop research and skills policies including “gold-standard” competencies for each individual job.
Paul Brooks, chair of Skills for Logistics and managing director of Unipart Logistics said: “In a lot of smaller companies, decisions for procurement of training gets passed on to operations managers; craft skills groups are an obvious place for operations managers to direct questions with experts on hand.”
The craft skills groups will have their inaugural meetings over the next month, and will work alongside the National Skills Academy Logistics shortly to be launched by Skills for Logistics.
