One of the UK’s largest independent logistics operators is championing the opportunities available to young people in its industry, as hundreds of thousands receive their A-level results.
Entering its fourth consecutive year of supporting national initiative Generation Logistics, a campaign that has driven sector awareness by 37 per cent, Europa Worldwide Group is spotlighting its school leavers who have gone on to build successful careers in the industry.
Rhys Woolgrove, Van Operator at the company’s specialist European road freight division Europa Road, said: “In school I wasn’t motivated by university, all I wanted to do was get into a job and start working. I had no idea what I wanted to do and then a couple of people from Europa Worldwide Group came into my school… and straight away it got me interested, so I applied.
“I was thrown in at the deep end and started looking after a small pot of business, taking as much knowledge and experience as I could. From there I went onto looking after a key account and now I am working in the operational side.”
Deciding where to turn after school has never been more challenging, with so many options available. Whether school leavers have achieved the exam results they wanted or not, for many Results Day is about taking the opportunity to explore all career avenues available to them – from university to apprenticeships / traineeships, and to school leaver programmes.
In a bid to engage with the next generation of logistics talent, Europa Worldwide Group sponsors Generation Logistics, a nationwide initiative led by two industry associations Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT UK) and Logistics UK.
Launched in 2021, Europa was an early adopter of the campaign to address skills shortages and promote diverse career opportunities. Now entering its fourth year of support, Europa is passionate about encouraging school leavers this Results Day to consider a career in logistics.
Bethany Windsor, Logistics UK’s Programme Director for Generation Logistics, commented: “The purpose of Generation Logistics is such a vital one to the sector, and we rely on the commitment of sponsoring companies to help us achieve our overall aim of encouraging the next generation of talent to enter the logistics workforce.
In the first three years alone, we have driven a sector awareness increase of 37 per cent, and amassed an audience reach of over 658 million – results that we plan to build and improve upon.”
Alongside Generation Logistics, Europa Worldwide Group continues to invest in Learning & Development across the business.
After joining Europa as a school leaver in September 2019, Sales Account Manager Ellie Hogg has worked her way up in specialist European road freight division, Europa Road.
Ellie, based at the company’s Newcastle road branch, comments: “I chose not to go to university because, at the time, I was struggling to decide what I wanted to do long-term. I didn’t want to lock myself into a university course if I wasn’t fully passionate about it!
“I’ve always been more focused on gaining real-world experience, rather than continuing in a traditional academic setting and I'm a more of a practical learner. Europa offered the opportunity to develop skills while working and earning, which really suited me and my goals.”
As part of its approach to nurture the next generation of industry talent, Europa has invested in its now 20-strong international team covering HR, payroll, recruitment and Learning & Development, who continue to adapt the resources available to all team members.
Sharing an insight into why choosing the logistics industry straight out of school has helped him to achieve early career success, is Customer Service Supervisor, Luke Brand, who is part of the Europa Road Cardiff team. He commented: “I think it is important to note that a lot of young people do apprenticeships because they want to, not because they can’t go to university. I think there is a big stigma around this. Personally, I was offered to go to 5 different universities, however, studying wasn’t for me. Not only did I want to get earning and make money, but I also wanted to start my career early.
“Overall, I have been at Europa now for 6 years and I have loved every single minute of it. Every day has been completely different, which is something I love. I have had 3 promotions and learning on the job has been vital to my success so far.”
In 2024, Europa launched a new apprenticeship programme across its expanding Customer Service team, providing quality skills training to empower their teams with the ability to provide the best and most customer centric service.
Tom Jenkins, Central Services Director at Europa Worldwide Group comments: “We are strong believers in supporting and progressing the next generation of logistics talent, so we feel its important school-leavers know their options. University is not for everyone and within the logistics industry there are many opportunities to pursue a fulfilling and rewarding career – from on-the-job learning and development to apprenticeships and professional qualifications.”