Logistics skills should be prioritised to boost growth, says Logistics UK

The omission of the logistics sector from Skills England’s “Assessment of priority skills to 2030”, published this week, is an oversight that could impact the government’s growth ambitions says Logistics UK’s Deputy Head of Policy Michelle Gardner:

“Skilled logistics careers underpin the growth-driving sectors identified in the government’s Industrial Strategy and Skills England’s assessment,” she says. “For Skills England to overlook the role of logistics skills and occupations in the economy is highly disappointing.

“The government’s industrial strategy recognises that logistics makes a vital contribution to the UK economy and the competitiveness of its growth-driving sectors but, despite this, Skills England have failed to take our sector into account. We warned the government that not recognising logistics as “foundational” formally created a real danger of its value being overlooked in further policy, and this has now happened with skills assessment, which will seriously hamper the UK’s growth mission.

“We will continue to work with Skills England as it develops and refines its process for assessing skills and will be calling for the DfE to ensure the needs of the logistics sector and career opportunities it provides are represented in its upcoming “Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy”.

Logistics UK is one of the UK’s biggest 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 decarbonisation, 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, water 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, please visit logistics.org.uk