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IAG Cargo opens applications for Heathrow apprenticeships

Posted on by Keith McKinley

IAG Cargo, the cargo division of International Airlines Group (IAG), has launched its 2023 apprenticeship scheme commencing in January which combines on the job operational training with recognised qualifications.

There are 14 roles available, working in the fast-paced environment at IAG Cargo’s hub at London-Heathrow. The scheme is designed to support and develop skills and knowledge in the air cargo industry whilst gaining confidence.

IAG Cargo first launched the apprenticeship scheme in 2012 and has since welcomed over 100 apprentices across the business. The 18-month programme has been designed to support a career in the cargo and logistics industry from the early age of 16+ and the scheme offers competitive benefits to include salary and discounts on flights. The scheme has a focus on the manual handling of freight, breaking and building units and operating equipment and machinery in a safe, secure and efficient environment. The deadline for applications is 16th October 2022.

Caroline Andrews, Chief People Officer at IAG Cargo said: “Our past and present apprentices have played a vital role in supporting our business to help keep the world’s economy turning and so I’m delighted to launch our latest apprenticeship scheme. With many school leavers keen to start their working lives this programme supports individuals to kick-start their career in such an important industry and we can’t wait to welcome them into our business.”

Zena Foley, Global ULD Logistics Manager began her career in 2012 and is now an integral part of the Supply Chain Operations at IAG Cargo: “I’ve always loved airports and aircraft, so when I saw this apprenticeship programme it immediately appealed to me. Not only did I receive hands-on experience and a qualification, but I was also earning too – university did not offer me this pathway.”

CLICK HERE to apply to IAG Cargo’s apprenticeship scheme.

 

 

Rite-Hite certified as a “Great Place to Work”

Posted on by David Priestman

Rite-Hite, a global leader in loading bay safety and energy management solutions, has been certified as a Great Place to Work for its business in Germany, confirming its status as an employer of choice within the logistics industry.

Great Place to Work accreditation is only awarded to those businesses that can actively demonstrate and measure excellence in how they treat and manage employees in a fair and respectful manner, and in creating a corporate culture that embraces openness, transparency and trust.

Christina Myschi, Head of Human Resources (HR) for Rite-Hite Germany, says that the satisfaction and motivation of its employees is the foundation of Rite-Hite’s success: “Through their involvement in change processes and the introduction of lean management methods, our corporate culture has advanced significantly in recent years.

“Our corporate values are based on trust, fairness and teamwork, among other things, and these are reflected in our management culture. Learning and continuous improvement are also key, and we want to become even better as an employer. The Great Place to Work accreditation is a testament to the progress we have made so far, but we are always striving to do more.”

Great Place to Work is one of the leading providers of employee surveys worldwide. In Germany alone, Great Place to Work works with more than 700 companies of all sectors and sizes every year, which undergo a voluntary audit of the quality and attractiveness of their workplace culture by the independent Great Place to Work Institute. Components include independent, anonymous feedback from employees as well as the analysis of HR policies and programmes.

 

International trade course launched by Globalia

Posted on by Keith McKinley

With the aim of broadening its members’ skills and knowledge, Globalia Logistics Network has launched its Online Logistics Academy. In order to provide the most efficient training material, Globalia has partnered with the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFFA), one of the leading logistics course providers, and Container xChange – a neutral online platform, used by 600+ freight forwarders who is offering a wide range of training material regarding the leasing container industry.

Globalia Logistics Network has inaugurated its online academy with the International Transportation and Trade Course and it has been an outstanding success. More than 20 students have enrolled and over 80% have already been certified. The main aim of this course is to help the participants reach new goals and confidence while boosting their productivity, enhancing their skills and even preparing them for greater responsibilities. The International Transportation and Trade Course is about the foundations of international freight forwarding, how to manage risks by selecting the appropriate Incoterm, how to calculate freight charges and load shipments, types of equipment and documentation used to move goods.

Antonio Torres, President and Founder of Globalia, states: “We have opened our online academy with the intention of providing our agents with a platform for inspiring educational courses that will enable them to set the international standard in their everyday shipping and logistics operations. We are delighted to have had this high demand among our members and very proud of the obtained results. We really hope that we will keep this high level in future courses.”

The Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFFA) is a course provider with more than 60 years of experience in logistics learning. The courses they offer are suitable for supply chain professionals who want to upgrade their knowledge base, and also for newcomers to this industry who want to take a deeper dive into the vast subject of transportation and logistics management.

Apart from the International Transportation and Trade Course, Globalia is also offering the Essentials of Freight Forwarding Course (provided by CIFFA likewise. This course will instruct the participants on multiple themes including export packaging, warehousing, document preparation or cargo insurance and it has already opened its registration.

Globalia has also established a partnership with Container xChange in order to offer a SOC Masterclass for members to understand the leasing container industry. The SOC Container Masterclass is provided as a complement to the other two courses. It consists of an “everything-you-need-to-know” course about handling Shipper Owned Containers.

The specially designed online training courses will help Globalia members to cope with the industry challenges and confidently execute complex logistical procedures. Furthermore, upgrading the work skills will also allow them to stay updated with the industry changes, take the necessary measures to bypass any obstacles in the process of successful execution of a project and provide better customer service.

STILL welcomes 64 new apprentices and students

Posted on by David Priestman

Intralogistics company STILL is welcoming 64 new apprentices and students to its headquarters in Hamburg and its seven branches throughout Germany in September 2022. The new recruits are starting their training and study periods in six apprenticeships and three dual study programmes. For the first time, STILL is also supporting the dual course of study in ‘Computer Engineering & IT Engineering’.

The STILL training team welcomes new recruits to the company with the traditional Welcome Day at the Hamburg head office and via video streaming to all branches. The newcomers are given a comprehensive impression of the company, its products and its philosophy and get to know each other at the final barbecue. In the coming weeks, first insights into the different professional and learning environments, team-building activities, briefings on the current safety and prevention standards as well as a one-week forklift construction seminar will follow.

Innovators of tomorrow

“The training of qualified new talent has seldom been as important as it is at the moment,” emphasises Jan Wehlen, training manager at STILL. “We need competent, smart and innovative skilled employees to successfully meet future business challenges ranging from energy and sustainability to new technologies in the field of automation and robotics.

“At STILL, we are very aware of this responsibility – but also of the great opportunity for qualified specialists to help shape the future of our company and the industry as a whole. Accordingly, training young talent is a top priority for us.”

STILL has already proven many times in recent years that this is not an empty promise – with an excellent training programme, committed trainees and a wide range of qualification opportunities. STILL regularly receives awards for the high quality of its training. As part of the ‘Hamburg’s best training companies’ certification, STILL was awarded the top score of 5 stars for the seventh time in 2020. The company’s own retention rate also speaks for itself: all 36 graduates of the class of 2022 have been offered a job or a postgraduate position at STILL.

Post-pandemic challenges

Despite its excellent reputation as a training company, the recruitment of new trainees and students presented the company with major challenges for the first time. “We clearly noticed during the application phase that career and study counselling at schools only took place to a limited extent in the past two years. As a result, many young adults today are inadequately prepared for their choice of career,” explains Wehlen.

“We are all the more pleased that we were able to award our apprenticeships and study places to highly motivated young people, whom we are now supporting on their exciting and eventful journey into intralogistics.”

35 new trainees in Hamburg

At STILL’s head office in Hamburg, the training period has begun for 29 apprentices in six different professions – from mechatronics and industrial mechanics to industrial clerk. For the first time, one of them is a female trainee in construction mechanics.

“Unfortunately, female apprentices are still rare in technical professions,” says Wehlen. “We are all the more pleased to welcome a female apprentice in construction mechanics for the first time this year and hope that we can inspire more young women to take up technical jobs in the future.”

Furthermore, six young adults are starting their dual studies. In addition to “Electrical Engineering and Information Technology” and “Mechatronics”, there is also the “Computer Engineering & IT Engineering” course of study for the first time. Here, students at the Nordakademie learn to address the complex issues of the digitalised economy, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things – skills that will not exclusively be indispensable for the intralogistics industry in the future.

With the start of the 2022 training year, STILL will be training a total of 204 young talents at nine locations across Germany in seven different apprenticeships and nine dual courses of study. The full range of training opportunities can be found at www.still.de/karriere.

How delivery firms are approaching personnel for peak period

Posted on by David Priestman

With the UK logistics industry preparing for the busiest time of year, many companies are facing more pressure around ensuring their business and workforce are set for the inevitable annual spike in demand. Recruiting and onboarding new subcontractors has always been one of the main areas of strain for the logistics and courier industry. Typically, recruiting new self-employed delivery drivers involves advertising the role, finding the best-suited candidates, contacting them individually and manually sorting out all required documentation such as driving licences, ID, toxicology, tax and right-to-work documents.

All of this can take considerable amounts of time for business owners throughout the year, but this becomes even more of a burden during peak period when delivery firms need to grow their driver workforce. Now, as we move towards the end of summer, UK businesses are harnessing software to improve their processes around personnel and make sure they’re in the best position to manage this year’s Christmas peak.

In order to maximise efforts ahead of the 2022 peak period, many last-mile delivery firms have now opted to use innovative workforce management technology to streamline their processes around onboarding, payments and much more. This use of cutting-edge technology allows business owners to drastically cut down on paperwork and admin whilst freeing them up to focus on growing their businesses.

These workforce management systems, such as Wise, provide improved clarity to main contractors so that they can see a complete overview of their subcontractors as well as their pipeline of incoming drivers, which is vital at the busiest time of year.

Managing compliance around self-employment is essential for any thriving delivery business and managing everything from contracts to documentation is an integral part of this.

Traditionally, many firms have spent vast amounts of time worrying about everything from IR35 to employment status and potential readiness for an upcoming HMRC audit. Now, with the introduction of user-friendly software, these firms are able to receive expert legal support, sign and share contracts digitally and keep an online record of all documentation ready for any enquiries from the taxman. All of this combines to not only provide stress-relief for the business owners, but means that the subcontractor drivers can be confident that they’re also protected.

Traditionally, self-employed individuals haven’t been able to get some of the perks that are often given to full-time employees. Now, through third party software, many delivery business can offer their subcontractors access to essential products such as accountayc and invoicing support, whilst even getting them access to unique high-street discounts. By providing these different facets to improve the self-employment experience, logistics business owners are able to not only create a more attractive offer than their competitors, but again increase their driver retention rates.

James Orton is Chief Technology Officer at Wise, a tech firm specialising in improving self-employment within the UK delivery sector. He said: “We have seen the key areas main contractors have been struggling with for years in terms of engaging with a self-employed workforce and know how this is only exacerbated during peak period. “Now, with the free Wise platform easing these stress-points for over 250 UK delivery firms, we’re seeing how business owners can not only save time, money and stress for themselves, but create a vastly improved self-employment experience for their drivers at the same time.”

School of logistics honours young SCM experts

Posted on by David Priestman

The Dortmund based PhD School of Logistics, the summer school of the Graduate School of Logistics, has recognised five doctoral students who, as a team, had developed the best solution to a live case study in the field of fashion logistics. Univ. Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Michael Henke, Speaker of the Board of the Graduate School of Logistics at TU Dortmund, congratulated the group consisting of Dominik Bons (Chair of Corporate Logistics, TU Dortmund), Simon Kammerer (Institute of Energy Systems, Energy Efficiency and Energy Economics), Lara Kuhlmann (Graduate School of Logistics), Alexander Lunin (TU Darmstadt) and Julian Brinkmeyer (Chair of Corporate Logistics, TU Dortmund).

Four interdisciplinary teams with a total of 19 young men and women took part in the live case study during the 7th PhD School of Logistics (July 4th to 8th ) at the Fraunhofer Institute for Logistics and Material Flow IML. The organiser invited experts from the Open Logistics Foundation and from Bochum-based SCM software provider Setlog as cooperation partners. The IT specialists from the Ruhr region helped to develop the assignment and provided data that had previously been generated from Setlog’s SCM software OSCA.

In the context of a volatile economy, the participants were given the task of analysing current data from the apparel industry and presenting a SCM concept that is flexible, resilient, sustainable, and future-proof. Background: The supply chains in the fashion industry are very complex. A pair of jeans is transported up to 20,000km from production to the store. The supply chain consists of at least 20 milestones. To make matters worse, the current crises are lengthening delivery times and pushing prices up.

The teams could decide for themselves which key figures they wanted to optimise – for example, costs, delivery times or transport routes. However, they had to provide suggestions on how to optimise supply chains using platforms based on blockchain technology. They also had to specify which well-known open-source components would help to implement the solution.

“A particular challenge for the teams was the time pressure during the live case study. Only nine hours were allotted for the development, and only 15 minutes for the presentation to the jury,” reports scientist Michael Henke. He is very satisfied with the results: “The participants showed that modern supply chain management benefits enormously from digital technologies such as blockchain and open-source components. Without them, the flexible, resilient and sustainable supply chain networks of tomorrow are unthinkable.”

Ralf Duester, board member of Setlog, emphasises: “Supporting open-source activities is not a contradiction for us as a software provider either – on the contrary: only together can we design solutions that are used everywhere in industry. And only in this way we can increase the speed of developments. That is also why we are a founding member of the Open Logistics e.V. association and supported this very realistic live case study.”

Caption
The winning team of the live case study (from left to right): Dominik Bons (Chair of Corporate Logistics, TU Dortmund), Simon Kammerer (Institute of Energy Systems, Energy Efficiency and Energy Economics), Lara Kuhlmann (Graduate School of Logistics), Alexander Lunin (TU Darmstadt), Julian Brinkmeyer (Chair of Corporate Logistics, TU Dortmund). Explained in a keynote the necessity of a new supply chain management and the advantages of open source developments: Professor Michael Henke (TU Dortmund and Fraunhofer IML). Photos: Graduate School of Logistics

 

 

Wise shortlisted for UK business award

Posted on by David Priestman

Wise, a technology business which helps logistics firms to engage their self-employed workforce, is celebrating after being shortlisted for a 2022 National Business Award.

Wise, founded in December 2019, has been listed in the ‘Best New Business’ category following tremendous growth which has seen the scale-up business go from 12 employees to over 60 in two and a half years.

Based in Birmingham, Wise has developed a platform which is now used by over 250 UK delivery firms and 50,000 self-employed subcontractors to save time, money and stress on everything from onboarding to tax compliance.

The finalists for this year’s UK Business Awards were announced live online on Friday 29th April, with internationally renowned businesses such as DHL, Tata Communications and CitySprint up for different awards at the ceremony on Thursday 7th July.

Dan Richards, Chief Commercial Officer at Wise, said: “We’re incredibly proud to have been shortlisted for this prestigious award after what has been a tremendously exciting few years for the business. To be recognised and put forward for this kind of national accolade is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire Wise team and all of our fantastic clients across the UK.”

Research identifies warehouse worker shortage

Posted on by David Priestman

New research has shown which areas of the UK have been hit hardest by the skills crisis engulfing the transport and logistics industry.

The continued e-commerce boom, and a reduction in EU labour availability, has left many firms struggling to find enough warehouse operatives to meet high customer demand – but analysis by Mintsoft shows that some regions are faring worse than others.

According to the research, London tops the list for the highest number of unfilled vacancies at 233, according to live jobs board data compiled on 21st February 2022.

Next was Bristol with 219 roles available, followed by Birmingham (188) and Northampton (146).

Commenting on the findings, Rob Hodgson, WMS and E-commerce Fulfilment Expert at Mintsoft, said: “Anyone who works in the industry knows how difficult it’s become to recruit operatives but our data sheds light on the regional discrepancies. Competition for skills is particularly fierce in the capital, perhaps because it’s traditionally been home to EU nationals who have now left.

“The pandemic has changed consumer buying behaviour forever, which will continue to drive demand in the e-commerce and 3PL sector. While this is clearly good news, it puts immense pressure on businesses, especially SMEs, to deliver – at a time when increasing a headcount isn’t an option.

“3PLs recognise this and are increasingly investing in their warehouse operations in order to make better use of their existing resources.”

The 20 locations with the biggest shortage of warehouse operatives were as follows (Ranking-Location-Number of warehouse operative roles):

1-London-233

2-Bristol-219

3-Birmingham-188

4-Northampton-146

5-Leeds-129

6-Nottingham-125

7-Milton Keynes-122

8-Leicester-117

9-Manchester-101

10-Coventry-98

11-Bedford-90

12-Sheffield-86

13-Swindon-80

14-Peterborough-77

15-Doncaster-77

16-Stoke-on-Trent-73

17-Bradford-71

18-Exeter-70

19-Warrington-70

20-Derby-69

Clare Bottle, CEO at the UK Warehousing Association (UKWA), adds: “Today’s market is tougher than ever before for the warehousing sector. Labour shortages are no longer limited to the Christmas peak trading period nor are they restricted to warehousing’s famous ‘Golden Triangle’ in the East Midlands.

“In light of the failure of Government to recognise or even mention the role of warehousing and logistics in last month’s Levelling Up white paper, this research is particularly timely, providing an important evidential basis for UKWA’s continued representation to policymakers for more support in the face of critical labour shortages.

“Indeed, a recent poll of our members confirmed that labour shortages are the number one concern for 2022 and our National Conference this week (8-9th March), will focus on the theme of Building Tomorrow’s Workforce Today.”

For more information about this research, CLICK HERE

 

BIFA supports National Careers Week

Posted on by David Priestman

The British International Freight Association (BIFA) is supporting this week’s National Careers Week 2022 with a series of events aimed at demonstrating its commitment to promoting careers in logistics.

National Careers Week 2022 runs from 7th to 12 March and is a celebration of careers guidance and free resources in education across the UK.

The aim is to provide a focus for careers guidance activity at an important stage in the academic calendar to help support young people leaving education.

With youth unemployment remaining high and BIFA members concerned about the shortage of certain industry skills, there has never been a bigger need for careers guidance to be promoted.

Throughout the week, BIFA will undertake a number of events, supported by a range of resources on its social media pages to encourage members to expand their own learning; showcasing the range of training courses available from BIFA’s Training team.

For BIFA, the week will commence with an online seminar entitled ’10 Reasons To Consider A Career In Logistics’ at 13.00 GMT/14.00 CET on 7th March.

In it, BIFA executive director, Carl Hobbis, who is responsible for all elements of BIFA’s Freight and Customs training, will be joined by Kyle Lawrence, chair of the London East region of BIFA’s Young Forwarder Network (YFN) – a networking group set-up for young people or those new to the industry – and finalist in 2018 for Apprentice of the Year in the BIFA Freight Service awards.

In this interactive session, using Kahoot, Carl will provide guidance to those considering a career in logistics, whilst Kyle will deliver the perspective of young people within the YFN about what they think of the industry since joining it.

Thursday 10th March at 15.30 GMT/16.30 CET will see BIFA’s latest Young Forwarder Network event taking place with guest speaker Sam Greenhalgh, vice president of sales Europe at Zencargo and host of industry podcast ‘What’s In The Box?’.

Sam’s career in the shipping industry started at the age of 16, when he joined a leading service provider on an apprenticeship scheme. Since then, he’s been on an incredible journey working in various roles. He is passionate about the freight and logistics business, and his podcast brings together industry leaders to discuss the hot topics and trends in logistics.

BIFA hopes that Sam’s story will inspire and empower young forwarders to consider their next steps in the industry.

The trade association’s events will culminate with a free one-hour online event on Friday 11th March at 14.:00 GMT/15.00 CET during which James Billingham, a director of the Skills Office Network, will provide a comprehensive overview of how BIFA members can upskill their existing workforce by using apprenticeships and will show how they can help to resolve their ongoing skills shortages.

Billingham has over 20 years of experience in logistics skills and training. He worked closely with BIFA, and a group of freight forwarding companies, during the development of the International Freight Forwarding Specialist apprenticeship, and advises employers and training providers on all matters concerning apprenticeships.

Hobbis says: “National Careers Week 2022 is the perfect platform to advise and inspire the next generation as they enter the world of work. The week encourages education providers to bring together students, local employers and advisers through careers events and activities.”

In addition to inspiring school/college leavers, BIFA believes that this week will also be a great opportunity for those already in logistics to focus on the next step in their careers.

“We are urging BIFA Members to sign up, join up and promote the logistics industry as a career of choice within their local communities.

“In essence every week is National Careers Week for BIFA, and we remain committed to promoting logistics as an industry of choice for the next generation, plus supporting our members in achieving their own career ambitions.”

 

Prologis helps trainees find logistics jobs

Posted on by David Priestman

A Northamptonshire-based training facility is helping to upskill the next generation of logistics workers. The Hub, based at Prologis RFI DIRFT in Daventry, is a purpose-built facility, which is home to Prologis UK’s Warehousing and Logistics Training Programme (PWLTP).

After launching in 2021, the PWLTP is helping young and unemployed people in the Northamptonshire and wider SEMLEP area gain the skills, knowledge and competencies to find a job and build a career in logistics. In 2021, 96 local people completed the training programme and secured employment with local logistics employers, delivering a social value of £1.54m.

Among those taking advantage of the training programme, backed by Prologis UK and delivered by Goodwill Solutions, is Rachel Priest, a 28-year-old from Northampton. Rachel is using the programme to sharpen her CV and practise her interview skills, as well as gain important workplace qualifications, such as a forklift truck driving licence. She is supported by Right Resolution CIC, an organisation which supports young people in Northamptonshire and Peterborough leaving care.

Speaking about the PWLTP, Rachel said: “I’ve always been a hands-on person and the range of jobs available in logistics really appeals to me. The courses so far have been great and I’ve really found it useful talking about my CV and my skills. It’s given me a lot more confidence and I feel much more comfortable about applying for jobs now. Achieving my forklift licence is very exciting too!”

After progressing though the programme, where courses cover resilience and employability skills including workplace relationships, inner drive, CV writing and self-presentation at interviews, attendees are put in contact with local logistics businesses that are currently recruiting skilled workers. Many of these businesses are long-term customers at nearby Prologis Parks, allowing course participants to find sustainable employment, close to where they live.

Robin Woodbridge (pictured left, alongside Rachel Priest centre, and Prologis UK’s Sally Duggleby right), head of capital deployment at Prologis UK, said: “Seeing people progress through the courses and find employment is exactly why we set up the PWLTP. Businesses on our Prologis Parks need access to an employment pool of skilled workers and we know there’s an appetite in the region for jobs which offer security and progression. The Programme has had a very strong start and we’re looking forward to helping many more people build a career in the fast-paced world of logistics.”

As a sector, logistics offers a broad range of job opportunities; from warehouse and forklift truck operatives, through to customer service advisors, automation engineers and data analysts. Across the UK, the sector supports 2.6 million jobs and is actively recruiting. During the pandemic, logistics employees were given key worker status, due to the importance of their roles and recent research conducted by Prologis UK shows that 1 in 2 people believe that logistics workers are perceived more positively now than before the pandemic.

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