Aiming high: Think Logistics is encouraging young people into the industry

The UK logistics sector is worth over £93bn to the economy, and one in twelve working people in the UK work in logistics. Led by Careers Academies UK and supported by Abbey Logistics, RHA, Daf Trucks and a number of other employers, ‘Think Logistics’ is a series of workshops aimed at introducing students to the opportunities on offer.

Steve Granite, Managing Director of Abbey Logistics (and profiled in our own case studies) was himself introduced to the industry at 16 when Abbey Logistics visited his school. He said: “Like all logistics companies, I will need new managers, drivers, finance directors and admin staff over the coming years and I think the industry needs to help itself to a share of the talent out there..”

Pilot workshops will be run at 15 sites around the UK in the spring of 2013. Find out more on the Careers Academies website.

Monday: You’ve probably got questions. How much do I earn? What qualifications do I need? We’ll help you answer them.

Tuesday: Warming up (even if the weather isn’t!): Read about a day in the life of apprentices working in logistics to see what it’s really like.

Wednesday: So what’s available? There are numerous programmes from warehousing to international trade. Read more about your options.

Thursday: Get some advice on Apprenticeships from the national website and check out the buzz on Twitter.

Friday: Feeling ready to make that career move?? Then check out the logistics employers waiting for YOUR application.

Women in Logistics UK is made up of over 3,000 women and men from the logistics sector

Women are under-represented in the industry, and one of the group’s main aims is to encourage more women to consider logistics, whether school-leavers, graduates or career changers. The group also supports women working in the sector by organising networking events, mentoring, and showcases the achievement of role-model women. In July, Women in Logistics UK unveiled its first two annual award winners at a glittering ceremony – Adele Waite, general manager of a $1.25bn global contract for DHL, and logistics business Premier Farnell whose chief executive Harriet Green was named in the Financial Times’s Top 50 Women in Business.

Ruth Waring FCILT is the Founder of the group. Ruth says: “When I started working in transport in 1989 it was quite difficult – I had just emerged from university and it was quite a cultural change for me. However that experience gave me the idea for Women in Logistics UK, as I knew it would be invaluable to have the support of others when starting out in such a challenging and interesting new career. I would urge school-leavers and graduates to consider logistics for their career, and if they do then please join our group, get a mentor and get along to our fabulous, friendly networking events and parties. The noise at our events is deafening, and the group has changed lots of people’s perceptions of the industry.”

The group is free to join, and is open to anyone – both men and women – interested in the logistics sector who supports its aims.

“One day, one ordinary day…
Without any warning…
…an unknown force came to earth.
And it made them all stop.
The consequences were immediate, and they were devastating.
Without trucks there were no newspaper deliveries, no fresh milk.
And the hospitals quickly ran out of supplies.
School kids forced to eat leftovers.
The pharmacies were out of drugs. And the drinking water went bad.”

This wonderful promotional comic strip video is by Volvo Trucks who are looking for more talent to join their Uptime Team – a team of experts who work to keep trucks running. We wanted to share it with you because we thought it’s a brilliant way of showing just how important trucks, and logistics, are.

Young Movers on a visit to the safari park

Events have a professional development focus – but the social side isn’t forgotten, recent get-togethers have involved go-karting, a murder-mystery theme and ice-skating!

With no cost to join and no membership fee, the group is sponsored by two insurance broking companies, Basil Fry and Reason Global, and members are charged just a small fee to attend each event. Speakers offer seminars on a wide range of topics including household removals, commercial removals, international shipping, cost modelling, selling skills, customer service skills, career path planning, marketing best practise and quality standards. The group is UK-wide.

“I loved the open networking and the flow of ideas and discussions in a completely relaxed atmosphere. It’s obvious that young people in this business will play the most important role in shaping tomorrow’s moving business.” Judyta Szyszka, Excess International Movers Ltd

“From my personal contact with other Young Movers, we have been able to win work, and to learn from others in the industry. I hope that in the future we will continue to see new faces and a high turnout at the events.” Adam Chudley, Chudley International

“I believe that the Young Movers Group is a great way for young people within the industry to get together socially and share ideas. It also provides excellent networking opportunities.” Gareth Fosberry, ICM Gerson

To find out more about Young Movers, visit the BAR website.

www.dbschenker.com

Applicants can submit their dissertation, post-doctoral qualification or comparable academic work for consideration by 31 July 2012.

The DB Schenker Award has been given out annually since 1978 to foster young scientific talent. It recognizes scientific work in the fields of logistics, traffic and transportation. Papers on information systems, management systems or communications systems are also allowed, provided they have a particular reference to logistics. The Award comes with cash prizes of 10,000 euros for the winner and 5,000 euros for the supervising professor.

“In addition to high scientific standards, the Board of Trustees will also evaluate applications based on practical relevance, degree of innovation and benefit to the environment and society,” said Dr. Karl-Friedrich Rausch, Member of the Management Board of DB Mobility Logistics AG responsible for Transportation and Logistics.

• Find out more about the award

And if you’d like to ‘meet the company’ without heading up to Manchester, read our Stobart Group company profile – it’ll give you a great insight into a career there, and make you realise it’s not just about the trucks!

• Read about Stobart Group
• Find out more about Stobart Fest

This will be the third year of the programme, which also received industry recognition in January when DB Schenker won the BIFA freight service award for Staff Development.

The new group of eight will be based in a variety of locations up and down the UK and will undertake a 30 month long apprenticeship. They are required to complete two frameworks as part of the programme and when successfully passed, they will receive an NVQ Level 2 in Business administration and an NVQ Level 3 in Customer Service.

Managing Director, Helgi Ingolfsson, said: “Getting young people into logistics is vital, they are the future of the company and that is why I wholeheartedly support our apprentice programme.”

Find out more on the DB Schenker website

The dinosaur, named ‘Tricky’ the triceratops is a long term resident of the Dinosaur Museum in Icen Way, Dorchester.  Owners Mike and Jackie Ridley decided that Tricky was showing signs of age and needed a makeover.   The work could not be carried out on site, so Tricky had to be moved to a workshop where the model could be cleaned and repainted.

Pickfords, the UK’s largest removal and storage company, was called in to move Tricky from the museum, via crane onto a flat bed vehicle, ready to be driven to the workshop.   It took four men to move the model and one to watch the fragile tail as the life-sized dinosaur inched past telephone wires and metal railings.

The whole removal was filmed as part of Channel 5’s new series of ‘The Removal Men’, a fly on the wall documentary about Pickfords and its customers.

• Read about Pickfords in our company profiles
• Read more on Pickfords’ blog

First time in the UK for over 17 years

The pandas – Tian Tian (aka Sweetie), an eight year-old female panda, and Yang Guang (aka Sunshine), an eight year-old male - were flown non-stop from Chengdu Airport in China to Edinburgh Airport in Scotland on a specially-chartered Boeing777F flight known as the “FedEx Panda Express”. On board the Boeing 777F aircraft—which was solely dedicated to the pandas’ journey—Tian Tian and Yang Guang travelled in two custom-built transport containers.

Image courtesy of Thadz on Stock.xchng.