The government must increase its focus on job training for Level 2 to support the economy, according to Logistics UK, one of the UK’s biggest business groups. Elizabeth de Jong, Logistics UK’s Policy Director, hosted a Fringe Event at the Conservative Party Conference, with panellists Alex Burghart MP, Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills, and Steve Granite, Founder of Think Logistics, to discuss what training is required to deliver the jobs that the logistics sector needs to support the UK economy.
Ms de Jong comments: “Logistics workers are the backbone of the UK economy, delivering all the goods and raw materials every business in the UK needs to operate. But 67% of roles in logistics are deemed by the government to be “low skilled” – assessed as a Level 2 qualification – where there is limited funding and support available for training. With the logistics sector experiencing job shortages across occupations – 75% of Logistics UK’s members are finding it difficult to recruit warehouse staff, fitters, mechanics and technicians, in addition to the 96% struggling to recruit HGV drivers – it is vital that the government increases its focus on Level 2 training. This includes opening up existing government training support schemes to Level 2 roles – such as the National Skills Fund, Lifetime Skills Guarantee, and Adult Learner Loans – to ensure UK supply chains have the staff they need to keep the wheels of the UK economy moving.”
A recording of the panel discussion, delivered in partnership with Conservative Home, is available to view on YouTube, here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzv-6UmZhfU
Logistics UK is one of the UK’s leading business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With COVID-19, 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. Logistics UK supports, shapes and stands up for safe and efficient logistics, and is the only business group which represents the whole industry, with members from the road, rail, sea and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers whose businesses depend on the efficient movement of goods. For more information about the organisation and its work, including its ground-breaking research into the impacts of COVID-19 on the whole supply chain, please visit logistics.org.uk
