Serving the Teesside Business Community | 13
ATTRACTING
YOUNG
PEOPLE INTO
LOGISTICS
Many logistics companies across the UK are facing numerous challenges which are
affecting the ability of the sector to grow and develop as quickly as it might.
T
here is a growing shortage of young
people entering into a role in logistics
which is proving problematic for the
companies wanting to expand and develop.
Nationally the sector needs to recruit
approximately 450,000 new workers in the
next five years (with 1.2m workers needed
by 2020), yet the industry is among those to
recruit the lowest number of school leavers,
second only to agriculture.
The issues facing the industry are due to
a lack of awareness surrounding the skills
required to carve out a career in logistics,
as well as poor insight into the number and
variety of roles available.
More fundamentally there is an overall
gap in understanding what logistics actually
is, not just amongst young people but
education providers and parents too. This
lack of understanding means there aren’t
enough young people enthused by a career
in logistics. Of the current workforce just 9%
are under 25 and 45% are over 45.
Increased competition for resources
and a lack of skills required to meet
demands created by existing and emerging
technologies has led to recruitment and
retention difficulties.
In the Tees Valley more than 8,000 people
are currently employed in the logistics
industry, and this region along with many
parts of the UK faces the challenge of raising
the profile of logistics, as well as accessing
fresh talent and finding the time for training.
To help tackle these issues, PD Ports’
logistics division, PD Portcentric Logistics,
in conjunction with Stockton Riverside
College and national charity, Career Ready,
has launched a new Logistics Academy
on Teesside. Supported by NETA Training,
the programme follows the successful
implementation of a similar concept in
Liverpool led by Think Logistics.
The aim is to collaborate with logistics
providers, local hauliers and other likeminded businesses to deliver engaging and
inspiring opportunities for young people that
will deliver real value for everyone involved;
the vision is to align the requirements of
industry with the national curriculum.
PD Portcentric Logistics’ director Jim
French, who is also national chairman of the
Road Haulage Association, said: “I’ve talked
to young people of school leaving age and
there’s a definite lack of awareness of what
the logistics industry is about. Similarly,
to my mind, there’s a lack of awareness
amongst school teachers and parents as
well.
“Logistics is a key part of all industries
as it is about the movement and storage of
products and people. Its purpose is to add
value to a product or person by its location.
“This is a great opportunity to help raise
awareness and we are only scratching the
surface. There are currently 2.2m people
employed in logistics in this country, that is
one in 12 of UK workers, yet we face a great
difficulty in attracting young people into the
industry.”
A shortage on our roads
Part of the issue faced by the industry that
is made worse due to lack of awareness is
the shortage of truck drivers.
NETA’s chief execut