Although the sector’s growing skills shortage remains a concern, one organisation that is continuing to successfully raise its profile is Think Logistics.
The brainchild of Abbey Logistics chief executive Steve Granite, it has been promoting the industry to young people, teachers and parents for the last seven years via a partnership with social mobility charity Career Ready, dedicated to connecting young people aged 11 to 18 with employers and volunteers from the world of work.
Think Logistics has highlighted to the sector the skills shortage it faced, not only driving positions but planners, fitters, operations and support staff, and called upon companies to form a partnership to tell young people about the many fantastic and rewarding career opportunities.
Think Logistics is now the UK’s largest talent development initiative in the sector. In partnership with Career Ready, it has succeeded in bringing together competing organisations to promote the growing range of careers the industry offers.
Over 40 partner organisations support its many initiatives including the FTA, the RHA, the British International Freight Association, Abbey Logistics, PD Ports, Royal Mail, Wincanton, DHL, Kuehne + Nagel, Longs of Leeds, Microlise, the National Logistics Academy, Volvo Trucks, DAF, Freightliner, Manpower, Brighthouse, AO Logistics, Clipper and Europa Worldwide.
In 2018/19 it engaged with over 2,000 young people by delivering workshops to 1,400 students, providing over 50 paid internships and placing others with over 70 mentors.
Steve Granite took 40 of the best logistics organisations and turned them into a phenomenal success, bringing in fresh ideas and developing a charter to rethink the process of introducing youth to logistics. Its successes are clearly measurable and can be evaluated by all 40 organisations who have contributed.
“It’s a superb initiative,” one judge said. “I applaud the generosity of the idea from Steve Granite. Think Logistics and Career Ready are promoting the logistics world to the next generation.”
"We’re delighted to win it again. We won it four years ago so it’s nice to see that the recognition of the initiative is still strong four years on. The scheme is progressing really well and we’re getting more and more students through the programme and some key employers coming on board."
Steve Granite