01 Dec 2006

Daily Telegraph Logistics supplement

Readers of the Daily Telegraph will have noticed the Logistics and Supply Chain Supplement given free with yesterday's copy.

MVP Search & Selection were feaatured heavily in a piece written by Robin Meczes called "Searching for Skills". We've attached a copy below:

Like many other industrial sectors, the logistics industry has an ongoing problem when it comes to finding new blood.
'It's hard to say just what the shortfall is, but there aren't enough skills in the UK to fill the industry's vacancies,' confirms Andy Rimington, MD of specialist logistics recruitment firm, MVP Search & Selection. 'Where we find a particular disparity is in relatively junior management roles - those in the £25,000-£35,000 salary bracket. That translates into a particular shortage for more analytical roles, jobs like inventory forecasting and management, demand forecasting and production planning.'
There are also regional shortages, of course, with high levels of competition for staff in logistical 'hotspots' like the West Midlands and Northamptonshire and other areas, like Cornwall, suffering from a relative dearth of available skills, says Rimington.
On top of this, customers are becoming ever more demanding. 'Clients set the bar very high, sometimes unrealistically high,' he says. 'For example, logistics sites have got a lot bigger in recent years and companies are usually looking to recruit managers with experience of like-sized operations. Similarly, particular logistics sectors, like food logistics, always look for people with experience of their sector. In some sectors - home delivery for example - that can be a problem because the sector itself is so new that the experience just isn't out there.'
The number of graduates looking to enter the industry is growing however, says Rimington, as is the number of colleges and universities offering logistics-related courses. But whether there is sufficient new blood entering the industry is another matter, he says, particularly since the sector itself is growing. 'The number of opportunities will definitely grow in future as the industry itself is doing extremely well,' he comments.
It's not just in management that skills can be hard to find, however. A well publicised shortage of professional truck drivers, for instance, continues to cause headaches in some parts of the industry.
Two years ago, as new working time restrictions on drivers were just coming into force, the predicted shortfall of truck drivers in the UK stood at around 46,000, according to a survey at the time by Skills for Logistics, the Sector Skills Council responsible for the industry. UK implementation of the new rules wasn't, however, as strict as predicted and the latest Skills for Logistics research, conducted last year, suggests the national shortage currently stands at 25,000 drivers.
John Bowman, Policy Director at the organisation, says there are a variety of measures the industry could be taking to fill this gap, including recruitment of more women and ethnic minorities as well as more drivers from other EU states. But getting a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) licence can be a lengthy and expensive task and this puts many people off, he agrees. Even those that get a new licence frequently find it's no guarantee of work because firms always want experienced drivers.

The industry's traditional culture of long working hours and relatively poor pay and conditions also puts people off, he admits - though on this score the new working time restrictions and imminent new rules on driver training will both help. 'They're signs of the industry becoming more professional,' he says.
One thing is certain, though - unless the industry can attract new drivers quickly, it's soon going to face a real crisis as the current ageing workforce retires. 'We do need to do more to encourage younger people into this industry,' says Bowman. 'Otherwise, the demographics will eventually catch us out.'