The vital role that apprentices play in the workplace will take centre stage at the forthcoming Freight Transport Association (FTA) Logistics Skills Summit -– Attract, Recruit, Retain. With vehicle engineers being the most difficult role to employ people into in the UK, the Association will focus on the progress of its own apprentices who embarked on a three year scheme with FTA and Gist last year.
The Logistics Skills Summit – sponsored by DAF Trucks, is a free-to-attend event, and takes place on 17 March during National Apprenticeship Week. It will take an in-depth look at the skills shortage within the transport and logistics industry and the steps needed to be taken to attract, recruit and retain staff.
National Apprenticeship Week 2016, coordinated by the National Apprenticeship Service, runs from 14 to 18 March and is designed to celebrate apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy.
June Powell, FTA’s Director of Operations, said: “Apprenticeship schemes have an essential role to play in order to encourage young people to enter a career in logistics. Much still needs to be done to make the industry more attractive and to help employers recruit and retain staff, and the FTA Logistics Skills Summit aims to address some of these issues.”
With the March 2016 Budget the day before the Summit, there will be up-to-the-minute information on apprenticeships and the Apprenticeship Levy.
Following on from last year’s successful Driver Crisis Summit - which attracted over 600 delegates, this year’s FTA event will look at the whole skills shortage within the industry, including drivers, fleet managers, technicians and engineers. It will also consider the image of the logistics sector, and delegates will have the opportunity to discuss how the profile and perception of the industry can be changed. There will be a series of panel sessions and masterclasses, including vital information on issues surrounding school leavers, jobseekers, foreign workers, armed service leavers and retaining the skills that organisations currently have.