Warwickshire Teenager Scoops Top Prize In Freight Industry Competition.

A teenager from Warwickshire has won the top prize in a national careers competition, hosted by the Freight Transport Association (FTA) on its stand at the Skills Show 2017 and run in partnership with careers campaign Think Logistics.

Ben Bardell won an iPad for achieving the highest score in the Think Logistics quiz, the campaign which aims to encourage more young people to consider careers in the logistics sector.  Ben, who is a Year 11 student at the St Thomas More Catholic School in Nuneaton, beat off several hundred other entrants to scoop the top prize.

The Think Logistics quiz posed a variety of questions about the contribution made by the logistics industry to the UK economy and tested competitors' knowledge of key transport facts and figures.  The prize was donated by Career Ready, the charity which works to prepare young people for employment.  Ben was presented with his iPad on behalf of Think Logistics by Charlotte Wright, West Midlands Regional Manager for Career Ready.

The Freight Transport Association's Head of Skills Campaigns, Sally Gilson said:

"I am delighted to hear that Ben has won the iPad in our Skills Show contest.  I worked on our stand at the CV Show and I know the competition was extremely tough indeed.  Some of the questions were very difficult and many adults were stumped, so it's great to see Ben came out the winner.  I know everyone at FTA would like to offer him our congratulations."

According to FTA's most recent Skills Shortage Report, around 2.5m people work in jobs associated with the logistics sector and the number of opportunities is growing.  It is estimated the industry needs around 50,000 commercial vehicle drivers, alongside technicians, engineers and qualified transport managers.    Ms Gilson says the labour shortage remains a key issue for the industry:

"FTA has been working incredibly hard to raise awareness of the labour shortage in the logistics sector and particularly the lack of qualified HGV drivers.   We want to spread the word that logistics offers job hunters of all ages and backgrounds a wide variety of exciting and varied career opportunities.  We are particularly keen to reach young people and we hope Ben's visit to our stand along with the thousands of other young people who came along, will have attracted the interest of some logistics stars of the future."

Efficient logistics are vital to keep Britain trading, directly having an impact on more than seven million people employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With Brexit, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc.    A champion and challenger, FTA speaks to Government with one voice on behalf of the whole sector, with members from the road, rail, sea and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers.