A clear first step on a stairway of funded education for Express.

Minister signs off funding band for new Sortation Apprenticeship

A brand-new apprenticeship in express logistics sortation has been cleared for delivery and West Thames College have signed up the first candidate with Tuffnells in Slough. It’s a double win, as that candidate seamlessly stepped into logistics via the short course SWAP, ‘An introduction to Express Logistics.’

Hold the front page - DFE, IFA report this week, hot off the press from Apprenticeship Week, ‘The Minister has formally signed off on the £4000 band for the brand-new, 12-month, Express Sortation apprenticeship.’

The Express Logistics Trailblazer group chaired by IOC education head, Justin Moore, ‘OnIt Logistics’ began with BIS.

The group have delivered a step-change for the next generation joining our sector. And the first candidate is to sign the paperwork while the ink is still wet..

Over five hundred candidates have already signed up for the ‘Express delivery’ apprenticeship, but candidates must be in a PAYE role and many folk on the road are self-employed.

LSA chair, Carl Lomas explains,

The sortation apprenticeship is set to change the way new people join our final mile sector. Starting in sortation; starting in a PAYE role in a sortation depot. The Sortation apprenticeship has a training plan developed by the IOC, delivered by West Thames College, LSA. The course runs over twelve months, starts with the context of what Express is, follows the parcels on their journey from click to knock at the door. Everything in sortation is covered. From book to carousel, roller cage to tote box.

LSA candidates will get the opportunity to follow the Institute of Couriers' sixty-thousand word course book with 14 chapters for the next generation candidates. It complements the existing delivery workbooks.

IOC CEO Dr Tracey Worth explains,

The sortation text book is built by our sector for our sector. Written in context of level two, we open safety with a signpost statement from the sort depots, ‘Get your steelies on and lets get sorting.’ Candidates will learn in the workplace to deliver best practice in safety and with latest sortation techniques. From auto sort to carousel, belt and roller cage.

It's all funded by levy, it's free to the candidate and the candidate learns on the job. The course follows the parcel - from goods passing the trailer safety net to landing on the sortation belts. Goods are specified in four types: from small letter in auto sort to regular parcel, large parcel carousel and irregular very large.

West Thames College sign first-ever candidate for sortation apprenticeship from the Big Green Machine

IOC fellow, Sue Bancroft, HR director at Tuffnells is set to sign the first candidate. Bill Foreman, Depot Manager at Slough has put forward Atique Khan, ‘Tee’, to be the first-ever candidate to start the brand-new Express logistics sortation course. ‘Tee’, based at the Heathrow Tuffnells, started in the sector via a short work academy programme (SWAP) funded by DWP. The SWAP was 'An introduction to Express Logistics' run by West Thames College near Heathrow. Tee now moves on to the full sortation apprenticeship, and will use the IOC training textbook alongside a twelve-month course with the Heathrow area, West Thames College. (WTC)

WTC Principal, Tracy Aust comments,

The sortation apprenticeship with the SWAP course forms a seamless stairway into the Express Logistics sector. We welcome Tuffnells enrolling the first candidate in what should roll out to be something very special for Express Logistics - a solution for the next generation logistics workforce.

You can take a look at the apprenticeship standard, headlines of the training plan and an extract of the training text book here on the IOC web.

For more details of how to sign up in the first tranche with LSA West Thames College This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..