Road to Logistics could help address skills shortage

The RHA and Microlise are to train military veterans who have spent time in prison for jobs in the logistics industry.

RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said the scheme, Road to Logistics, could help plug the industry’s skills shortage while providing assistance to those who need a “helping hand onto the employment ladder”.

The scheme was launched at the Microlise Transport Conference in Coventry last week in conjunction with veteran support charity Care after Combat.

Burnett said: “Care after Combat has the source for potential drivers, Microlise will create the training academies, and our members have the jobs.”

Former TV presenter Jim Davidson, executive chairman of Care after Combat, told delegates: “By providing secure long-term skilled employment in the transport industry we are achieving many of our goals, while also providing a new source of talent for the industry. We think it will be a win-win situation.”

Burnett said that candidates will have to undergo numerous tests before they are selected. “Before training begins, candidates will be rigorously assessed for their suitability, including a thorough medical examination. Those who pass will have to sign up to a strict Road to Logistics code of conduct.

The code will cover all aspects of their behaviour and professionalism and will ensure that prospective employers can be confident that they will be taking on someone in whom that confidence is well placed,” he said.