Next generation managers look set to get their very own qualification for final mile, built by final mile employers. The qualification for the job role has been outlined at degree level for the pending levy to the department of education. This completes a stairway of opportunities for express final mile delivery in the new land of levy that ranges from front line driver to board level strategic manager and includes sortation in the hubs.
Justin Moore comments,
A Stairway of qualifications for our sector as the next generation of workforce evolves.
The express employer group chaired by Justin Moore, CitySprint and secretaried by LSA chair Carl Lomas, submitted a standard for the qualification of degree apprenticeship named as occupation, Express Manager. The express manager degree should do what it says on the can, provide a qualification for our next generation managers in final mile, courier and express deliveries. The Express team are seen on the photo, Carl Lomas, Prof Liz Barnes boss of Staffordshire University in DPD homeland, IOC president Lord Falkland and Justin Moore CitySprint.
Levy arrives April for payments in May 2017 and future candidates will be funded by the levy, a degree apprentice individual has no 9k university fee to pay, the fee comes form levy and the candidate works on the job, sharing learning time with one of the supporting Universities. Located in the logistics hot spot of Heathrow, University of West London has lead development alongside University of Derby in the East Midlands Donnington D2N2 hot spot of middle England logistics.
The standard was built with wide scale input from employers, national, regional and sme, the group met at the IOC heads of industry events during 2016 as well as group workshops from Manchester to Derby and London. One to one employer meetings focused on detail in the standard, the nuts and bolts from mail licence to FORS and Mcpc, responsibilities for tendering express contracts, routing peak delivery, performance innovation for volume and speed to customers and LoCity clean air solutions for final mile in conurbations. Employers have contributed to all things needed in the job role of an Express Manager and put it to paper in a two page summary document as a draft standard of the qualification for the Dept of Education.
Carl Lomas comments,
The express manager degree standard is a credit to the employers who have supported it, both attending workshops and giving their time in one to one session to build detail in the job role demands of express managers, the new standard is a showcase of the demands of our next generation managers in express, final mile, courier for an evolving sector with exploding numbers. This gives a chance for our next generation managers to take a formal step into the sector with a qualification designed by the employers and funded under the new levy. Its not there yet, standard will be reviewed by dept of education and reported back in March, keep your fingers crossed for recognition of our sector.
Express Trailblazer group has been busy since Justin Moore submitted the first phase two application for a level two apprentice back in 2015, the level two has cleared standard and looks set to be the first of the new qualifications delivered, titled, Express delivery, this is aimed at front line couriers delivering express and final mile solutions from Royal mail posties to national and regional couriers. A level two is under development for sortation operatives working in the hubs, a level 3 for mentor and a level 4 for supervision managers. To complete a stairway of qualifications for the sector a level seven masters degree for Express strategic manager is also in development. A qualification for every level signposting the career opportunities in express final mile sector.
To get full detail of the qualifications at standard and in development search the web to the Trailblazer section of the Institute of Couriers web site here. You can even find the first mapping of the level two express delivery qualification. Colleges, universities and private training providers have been briefed by AELP for the delivery of the qualifications as levy fast approaches the tax bill for companies in the sector.
Express Delivery manager, summary for the new draft standard submission submitted to Dept for Education Feb 23rd
Occupation: Express Delivery Manager, Level: 6, Programme duration: The apprenticeship will take a minimum of 36 months to complete. (Ref ST0471)
Role: The advent and rapid growth of internet-generated sales have created demand for a new breed of logistics professional with the skills needed to locate and deliver goods to precise and demanding delivery specifications – the Express Delivery Manager. This Standard sets out the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed by these senior managers in the technology-led, fast-paced, 24/7 world of express sortation operations. These are not the traditional skills of warehouse management and vehicle fleet management, but the skills of data analysis, key performance indicator-based management, real time business planning, time-critical decision making and innovation in route planning. All Apprentices are required to gain and maintain all of the knowledge set out in this Standard, irrespective of their current or initial job role and duties.
Level 2: Sortation Hub Operative
Level 3: Express Delivery Supervisor Mentor
Level 4: Sortation Hub Supervisor / Manager
These Standards will be distinct from other Standards in the broader logistics and supply chain sector. The context is the rapid and continuing growth of internet-generated sales. This has created demand for a new cohort of operatives and professionals with the skills needed to sort and deliver goods to precise and demanding delivery specifications. This takes place in an environment where domestic and business customers have rising expectations of service quality and customer service. Figures from IMRG show an exploding number pattern for on-lime retail, 'shift from high street purchase to home delivery has exploded, ' says Nick Langdon, boss of the Royal Mail. the IMRG figures reported 26 % of 2016 retail purchases were home delivered. Interpreting the IMRG figures propose that half of retail purchase will be home delivered by 2020, this is a double growth in the next five years' says Carl Lomas MBE, chairman of the Institute of Couriers. Fulfilment of these internet-generated orders has led to a new physical infrastructure of sortation hubs using specialist equipment and fleets of specialised vehicles – with an increasing focus on reducing the environmental impact of deliveries. This has been accompanied by widespread adoption of sophisticated ICT systems to process orders, generate route instructions and gather data to enable the monitoring of key performance indicators. Express is unique, it is evolving and has strong demand for a next generation workforce as e-retail home delivery explodes its numbers with the continuing shift of high street retail to home delivery. Operative roles in a sortation hub are very different from those in a traditional warehouse and the management skills are similarly different from those of warehouse management and vehicle fleet management. Express roles rarely include warehouse and storage activities, goods pass through a sortation hub in less than 24 hours and often less than six hours, there is no conventional storage, rack and stack operation. Express roles do not include the purchase or sourcing of goods in the supply chain, Express goods is about handling consumer orders and fulfilling urgent delivery for multiple brands.
