There are a large number of small companies offering training services to the industry. These organisations are heavily concentrated on licence acquisition for drivers of large goods vehicles (LGVs) and other operators of equipment, such as fork-lift trucks. Much of this training is of short and tailored to employers’ needs for compliance with legislation and regulations.

Current education and training in the sector is:

• responsive to employers immediate needs
• flexible, but compliance driven
• not aimed at contributing to productivity improvement in the sector

The national trade bodies, the Freight Transport Association and the Road Haulage Association, are major providers of training. Training is provided for the basic licence qualifications up to higher level management training (at NVQ Level 4 and above).

Vocational training under the system of S/NVQs is also offered by training firms, in parallel with trade bodies and further education colleges.

It is suggested that:

• providers should focus more positively on the medium and longer term needs of their customers, on productivity issues and a wider range of skills, alongside the basic requirements for compliance training
• delivery systems should be improved, by bringing together the public sector providers and making resources available for them to work more closely with employers and private providers
• the image of the industry is poor and hinders recruitment for vocational or professional development
• all training providers should address the need to increase the number and diversity of people entering logistics as a career

Source: Skills for Logistics website 2006 and Skills for Logistics – Stage 2 2005

Go to the Careers in Logistics website for more information on qualifications in the sector:

• Undergraduate qualifications
• Postgraduate qualifications
• Driving qualifications
• Professional qualifications

Some 2002 data on the qualification profile of the sector is available see:

The most common training offered by operators in the road haulage industry is health and safety and drivers’ hours, along with vehicle familiarisation training and licence acquisition. NVQs, the Young Driver Training Scheme and Modern Apprenticeships are offered by around 10% of operators.  Many large employers favour in-house training courses that can be delivered in a flexible manner. 

Regulation of road haulage regarding health and safety and public protection requires the workforce to have a range of “licences to operate” and certificates of competence and safety. Individuals and companies pay for the training to obtain these licences and certificates, as they do not attract public funding support.

The provision of LGV driver training is heavily dependent on the fleet size of the company. Less than 40% of companies operating five or fewer vehicles offer training whereas 90% of companies operating more than 100 vehicles offer training.

Sources: FTA/Skills for Logistics 2003 and Business Strategies 2002

In contrast with other sectors, there are relatively few national qualifications in the sector. This is particularly notable at higher level (i.e. NVQ Levels 4 and 5).

The road haulage industry surveys have shown that the take-up of NVQs and SVQs is quite slow. Generally, large companies (over 250 employees) have a greater percentage of employees undertaking an N/SVQ than small companies (less than 249 employees).  The majority of entrants in the sector are not prepared to undertake this type of workplace assessment.

A set of occupational standards for those working in logistics, distribution, warehousing and storage operations has been produced by Skills for Logistics.

Sources: Skills for Logistics website 2005

For further information on S/NVQs in the sector go to the Skills for Logistics website or see:

From 1997 to 2001 over 470 candidates started (and 178 finished) Foundation Modern Apprenticeships (formerly National Traineeships) and over 1,300 candidates started (and 365 finished) Advanced Modern Apprenticeships (formerly Modern Apprenticeships). Nearly half of all candidates are over 18 when they start their Modern Apprenticeship and approximately 20% of all candidates are female. More recent breakdown of participation in Modern Apprenticeships is not available.

Apprenticeships - which cover two levels, foundation and advanced - are available in one of four specialisms:

• traffic specialists - plan routes and organise loads to ensure goods reach their destination on time and in good condition
• warehouse specialists - organise the handling, storage, packing and movement of goods in and out of the warehouse
• professional drivers
• postal operatives – deal with the collection, processing and delivery of mail to and from businesses and individuals

Apprenticeships giving practical training lead to an NVQ Level 2 award. Advanced Apprenticeships, designed for young people who have the potential to become supervisors and managers, lead to the award of a NVQ Level 3.

In Scotland, only Level 3 apprenticeships are available, which are named Skillseekers Modern Apprenticeships. This training provides practical training leading to the award of an SVQ Level 3.

Source: Skills for Logistics website 2006

For further information on apprenticeships in the sector go to the Careers in Logistics website.

Universities and professional bodies offer high quality education and training for managers and specialists, but have difficulty recruiting onto courses because of the poor image of the industry and lack of promotion of logistics as a career. Logistics training at undergraduate and postgraduate level is limited.

There are 23 ‘mainstream’ degree courses and 2 Foundation degrees, ‘Logistics Management’ and ‘Logistics and Transport’, offered by 16 UK universities. Existing employees who are aspiring managers are the main target of Foundation degrees.

A limited number of institutions offer postgraduate courses often without offering undergraduate studies in the same subject. Many students on these courses are from overseas and of the UK graduates it is thought only about half would take up jobs in the sector.

A substantial number of graduates enter logistics careers with degrees in a wide range of subjects. Specialist first degrees in logistics do not seem to offer significant added value to employers. Employers report that some recruits who were qualified with degrees in logistics are not well suited to the industry, while graduates from other disciplines (such as economics) had proved very suitable. Problematic graduate recruitment has led some firms to reduce their intake of graduates and instead train and promote internally.

Source: Careers in Logistics website 2006 and Skills for Logistics – Stage 2 2005

For more information on graduate entrant schemes see:

National legislation sets a minimum age for LGV drivers of 21, making it difficult for young people to enter the industry. For more information the  DVLA has a downloadable leaflet on Special Licensing Arrangements for Drivers of Large Vehicles.

Additionally, insurance premiums for new drivers under 25 are high in relation to industry profit margins. The Young LGV Drivers Scheme operated by Skills for Logistics (on behalf of the Department of Transport) enables 18-21 year olds to drive LGVs within a controlled programme of training and supervision. This is gaining support in the sector, but has not yet significantly increased the numbers of new entrants.

For further information on Young (LGV) Drivers Scheme in the sector go to the Careers in Logistics website.

An example of a logistics company that has partnered with a university is Multipart and the University of Central Lancashire, for its management training programme. This has involved a member of university staff being seconded to become the company’s Learning and Development Manager for 12 months. It has also led to the university customising its postgraduate management programmes to meet the in-house needs of Multipart managers. The partnership has encouraged a positive view of the role of the value of education to business.  Multipart has set up a Learning Resource Centre – now a learndirect centre – in partnership with a local college in Preston, Lancashire. Courses have been developed in partnership with the local college and university to address the needs of all employees.

Source: Careers in Logistics website 2005 and FTA/Skills for Logistics 2003

For the different routes into the sector for school leavers, A Level students, 18-12 year olds, graduates, forces resettlement and other professions go to the Careers in Logistics website.  For information on CoVEs see:

Employers report that training provision:

• is not demand-led
• reflects what individual providers (at all levels) are able to supply
• is often not relevant or is out-dated
• is offered spasmodically when individual funding initiatives are in place
• is not offered consistently across the UK

Future education and training provision needs to:

• move employers away from ad-hoc purchases of training and towards continuous professional development
• implement a national provision model which will ensure consistency and relevance across the UK
• ensure that training providers are driven by demand, not expediency
• ensure that employers have a vehicle for the expression of their demands to the supply industry
• place increased focus on training delivery rather than just outcomes

Source: Skills for Logistics website 2006