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If you follow us on social media then you’ll already be aware of the #FTAskills16 event that we attended last month, but for those of you who missed out on the opportunity, we thought we’d give you the highlights of what was discussed at this forward-thinking event.

Last year the UK faced a shortage of approximately 60,000 drivers according to the Freight Transport Association (FTA), estimating that the industry needs approximately 45,000 new recruits to keep the industry from grinding, literally, to a halt. Therefore, steps towards attracting, recruiting and retaining those in the logistics sector, such as drivers, fleet managers and engineers was a hot topic on the skills summit agenda.

Apprenticeship Pathways

It was announced that both driver and operator apprenticeships have now been approved and are in the latter planning stages. It’s hoped that there will be a new strand of apprenticeship pathways for the logistics sector ready for September 2016.

Continual Professional Development

It was also announced that the Freight Transport Association are partnering with City and Guilds to ‘fill the void’ in skills development and continual professional development by introducing a new transport manager qualification. It is hoped that this qualification will allow many professionals added further development in their logistics career.

Lowering The Age Limit

The logistics company Wincanton also announced that they have revised their recruitment process, deciding to lower their minimum driver age from 25 to 21 in a bid to encourage the younger generation to see the logistics sector as a career opportunity after leaving university.

Student Loans

The government have also committed to offering a loan scheme similar to student loans through the Professional and Career Development scheme, which will be administered by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills later on this year. This will allow those who wish to start a career in the haulage sector the opportunity to gain the £3,000 qualification with a low interest loan.

A great time was had by all and we can’t wait to see how these recruitment changes will affect the ever-growing logistics sector, and last, but by no means least, we mustn’t forget to mention the delicious fruit crumble we had for pudding!

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