Employers spoke skills shortage in West London.
Can-do attitude training for under-18s.
Sector intro for adults. Work readiness focus for logistics.
Unanimous vote to build on the Feltham logistics hub
LSIF project event to review logistics in the West London geographic.
Employers engaged at the white oval table in a call to action for skills match to workplace at the Feltham logistics centre of West Thames College.
Headline was skills shortage in West London. Employer engagement focused on a five-question review of best approach to address skills shortage in logistics in the West London area. Replenishing the skills and workforce lost during COVID lockdown. 70 thousand jobs at Heathrow, thousands more across the West London logistics corridor. The oval table was an employer opportunity to network and natter on next steps for young and old, next generation candidates for jobs in logistics.
Two short-term goals: a part-time introduction to logistics for adults finding a new job pathway, the second, an offer to 16-18 year-old candidates to understand what logistics is, what it can offer and the key need of the sector, ‘a can-do behaviour attitude.’
Employers generate the term – ‘Futuristic logistics’
The energetic table opened with a look forward, network and natter drove the term, ‘Futuristic logistics.’
How is your part of logistics evolving?
Answers focused on a workforce lost when COVID lockdown closed roles at Heathrow. Logistics in West London is recovering from post-COVID that locked down Heathrow and lost workforce. The new workforce needs signposting for next generation under-eighteens, adults need pointers to the opportunities of the sector.
Questions at the table
Q - What is this thing we call logistics?
Logistics is a wide title and needs clarity and signposting to next generation workforce. LSA Chair Carl Lomas spoke need to explain sector, showcase to under-eighteens and refocus for adults changing sectors. Menzies spoke air supply chain. Goods across the world in many forms of logistics. Dr Tracy Worth spoke exploding express logistics chains of delivery to door in West London. Logistics at Flannery is often in-house. Getting machinery delivered in a very efficient way, using a data platform to organise the logistics, linking data managers to logistics. Digital lens of logistics. Construction logistics focused on smart depot consolidation of goods to final delivery.
Q - Skills shortage is building.
Carl Lomas speaking operators,
Retail shift has driven delivery to door, delivery to door has driven supply chain impact from supply chain of goods to retail, e-retail and delivery to client. Topics focused on smart hub logistics, concentrating on streamlined consolidation, centralising storage for delivery.
Q - With an ageing population, what are the barriers to recruitment of young people to the industry?
Under-eighteens are not aware of what the sector is and what it offers. Operator speak was Insurance. Insurance is a key issue to youth at location of job. The young are a great blank canvas and our next generation. Under-eighteens need a safe location, can a hub location be found for their introductions, get them ready to start work on site at eighteen?
Operators said,
A logistics hub solution for a safe introduction is needed.
Employers said -
We need to explain the sector to the next generation. The drivers - Communication and positive attitude is key. "Give me someone on time who communicates" is what we want. Positive and keen to work. Achieving a can-do attitude in logistics.
Q - Skills match, explaining sector, ‘What is this thing we call logistics?’
Educate job role appointees in the sector.
Asking the logistics hub question in more detail
Q - Would there be value in a hub bringing together logistics in West London? What would it look like and what does it mean for strategic positioning?
Employers said,
Feltham, is this the foundation of a logistics hub? We can almost see Heathrow from this room with the oval table.
Employers unanimously voted for more drive, more facility, more action at the Feltham site, ‘A logistics hub across all streams of road and air at Felthem.
The two future groups, those under eighteen, and the adults
Employers looking at 16 to 18 year olds
We must bring a perspective of logistics to the young. A taster, a flavour, the early years of a career in logistics, to specialise in aviation, road, retail logistics. Employers viewed a need for a venue sitting outside of insurance issues of workplace. A training ground for the under-eighteens. A place for preparatory training programmes to ensure core logistics is there to develop transferable skills for job start.
Adults – Work readiness is key to adult next generation
A need for compliance training alongside career route vision in the sector of logistics. The message is a route you enjoy and you can only enjoy it if you find it. Adult opportunities in logistics needs to be clear, Logistics in West London must be prioritised, this is a hot-spot and needs the transferable skills. Work readiness is key to adult next generation.
What other streams would you like to see here at the logistics centre?
All logistics: road, retail andair.
What would make a location for logistics?
Employer operator meetings like this to be regular, build communication and collaboration in logistics here at Feltham Logistics centre, make it a hub for logistics.
The Employer advisory board for the LSIF project
The Employer Advisory board, the oval white table hosted by West Thames College with an LSIF special project was a succesful advisory board foundation event to work with employers and industry specialists with a vested interest in how young people, forging careers in the logistics sector, are trained and educated to close the skills gap between education and employment.
Tracy Aust,West Thames College Principal
The LSIF project, preparing young people for logistics and understanding the skills gaps for the future. We believe that by doing this, we will ensure the College remains a forward-thinking organisation, supporting current and future students to be successful in their chosen careers and supporting longer term economic growth and productivity. Join our Employer Advisory Board to have a real voice in shaping the skills development of young people to be successful in your sector and provide strategic advice and direction on the future design of our curriculum.
WTC, Beverley McGuire explained the role of the advisory board for LSIF, matching delivery of the correct skills to the future workforce, we want employer input on our delivery, are we delivering the best match for young people and your jobs? Employers spoke skills shortage and what could be done.
WTC, Terrie Carter spoke talent pipeline. The 16-plus offer has apprenticeships and a full-time provision of tasters that open the college pathway. She detail warehouse and logistics at Level two. Level one employability with reach truck course. Sector Work Based Academy SWAP opportunities in logistics.
WTC, Neena Gharu spoke logistics apprenticeships with level three freight forwarding and transport stream, express driver and express sortation at level two.
LSA, Carl Lomas, LSA chair, speaking operator ‘A busy first meeting at the oval white table full of operator employer vision with asks around West London skills shortages in logistics. The 14th December 2023 meeting ran an intense ninety mins, 10.30am – 12.00pm, held at the Skills & Logistics Centre in Feltham. Operators and employers in logistics welcomed. Those joining had direct input into the college’s curriculum design and apprenticeship provision to ensure courses reflect professional practice and developments which will better equip our students for their transition into the world of work, closing the skills gap and provide a better pipeline of talent for business. The table looked at under-eighteen and adult, took a review of the LSA operator vision 2025-2030 and a look at the retention and recruitment opportunities across West London for logistics.’
Ask to the future board and members include; guest lectures, masterclass delivery, taking a role in assessment. Networking opportunities with like-minded business leaders, as today at the table, raising organisations social responsibility in the community, develops individual teamwork and leadership skills and an alternative method of recruitment which will reduce cost and enhance your talent pool.
An LSIF logistics sector event is set for Jan 30th. Save the date. The Jan 30 event will be hosted at Feltham logistics centre.
Carl from Menzies Aviation logistics
Spoke passionately about the locality to Hetahrow, seventy thousand people employed, Carl had delivered to local college students, engaged in apprenticeships and completed employment routes for local candidates via West Thames College.
Paul from Flannery plant logistics
We are plant and infrastructure with thousands of vehicles on the road, we have a training centre up the road, facilitating plant operator job routes.
Dr Tracey Worth CEO of the Institute of Couriers
spoke next generation under-18 behaviour needs, can-do attitude.
Chris from Telford Group
detailed embedded logistics and taked consolidation in micro-hubs for off-site building support logistics.
Operator employer workshop on Logistics Warehouse and skills
Review of level two Certificate in Warehouse and Storage skills. Those present discussed the seven mandatory groups and content match to workplace and college delivery. Pick goods, place goods, process orders, assemble orders, to operating equipment, maintain equipment and safety with streams of logistics as far as food safety.
Save the Date Jan 30th 2024
LSIF - Future Skills for Logistics Conference Jan 30th 2024
An employer operator event with a careers in sector showcase. Employers and future team together. Three key themes, watch this space for the detail
