RECRUITMENT commercialmotorjobs.com for all your career options online Industry urged to back inquiry on recruitment challenges Lo y Laura Hailstone
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EVERYONE IN THE haulage industry has been urged to submit information to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Freight Transport as part of an inquiry into how the sector can work better to attract youngsters.
The data-gathering exercise aims to examine the barriers young people face when trying to start a career in the logistics sector, and identify the education and qualifications the industry would like new entrants to hold before they join.
"The inquiry is open for anyone to contribute. We are hoping for a large response across the industry.
The more individuals and companies that provide evidence, the more effective the subsequent report [will be] when it comes to making recommendations," said Sam Hargreaves of the APPG.
"It's also important that personal experiences are put forward by individuals as well as by companies. A few paragraphs sent to my email will be just as valuable as professional submissions by large organisations," he added.
The inquiry aims to produce recommendations for the government and industry to adopt, which will make it easier for those leaving education to begin a career in the logistics sector. Geoff Dunning, chief executive
of the Road Haulage Association (RHA), welcomed the inquiry. "We are going to need to recruit people at all levels over the next few years, so the issue of how people are attracted into the industry is very important."
He pointed out that there is a lack of co-ordination of the various initiatives going on across the industry to attract new blood. He said: "Hopefully this inquiry will provide us with a comprehensive picture of all the schemes that are going on, and we can then look at implementing a process to coordinate best practice." The APPG has posed several questions as part of the inquiry, but stresses that people are free to
submit any information they feel will be relevant to the final recommendations.
The questions include: which qualifications are most in demand by the different strata of the logistics sector? What role could a government-backed apprentice programme play in encouraging young people to undertake a logistics career?
And how can government and industry work together in the future to ensure skills continue to match needs? • The deadline for submitting information is 26 September. For more information or to submit evidence, email sam.hargreaves@parliament.uk