New standards hold the key to skills gap

Apprenticeships offer a golden opportunity, says Skills for Logistics MD David Coombes.

As an end-point assessment organisation (EPAO) that specialises in the logistics and supply chain industry, we’ve been delighted to see the developing training opportunities that recently approved apprenticeship standards offer the sector.

These standards spread across both the lower and higher levels of training, ensuring the wide and varying skills gap the sector is facing is in fact being addressed.

It’s no longer just about training drivers - although this is obviously imperative to the logistics sector - it’s becoming more about higher level logistics management training.

With the sector being much more data-driven and informed, it allows for planning and forecasting expertise, data management and procurement specialists, particularly as we see just-in-time, internet-driven, same-day delivery requirements become expected, rather than just an ideal.

These training opportunities, provided through apprenticeships such as the supply chain practitioner – level 3 and the supply chain leadership professional degree – level 6, ultimately deliver the knowledge and skills expected in the fast-paced logistics world.

As a member of the transport and logistics route panel and part of an EPAO, I’ve been able to see the meaningful effect these apprenticeships are having on the sector. The shift from administrative duties to strategic supply chain management is clear and upskilling logistics people is key (along with artificial intelligence – but that’s a different topic entirely).

The partners and industry experts we at Skills for Logistics work with have echoed this same viewpoint.

As an ambassador of the supply chain and logistics sector, it would be great to get some feedback on these training opportunities. The panel values the voices of the industry and those who have upskilled or are thinking about upskilling their teams through apprenticeships.

To find out more about apprenticeships and how they could benefit your organisation, call us on 0117 927 8800. Information about logistics-specific apprenticeships standards can be found on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education website: instituteforapprenticeships.org