In August 2022, logistics recruitment was in the doldrums, with the majority of young  people surveyed failing to even acknowledge the employment opportunities offered by one of the UK’s biggest industries. Driver shortages hit the headlines and, with an ageing workforce, prospects for future recovery for the logistics workforce looked dire, with long term skills shortages a real prospect.

Yet, in less than two years, a first-of-its-kind industry awareness campaign, Generation Logistics has started to address this challenge, changing perceptions of the sector and raising understanding of the wide range of exciting job opportunities available in a sector that underpins all economic activity in the UK. About to enter its third year, the campaign is now open for sponsorship from businesses across the sector which are committed to futureproofing the workforce and ensuring the security of the supply chain for years to come. As Phil Roe, Executive Sponsor of the campaign explains, the work must continue if logistics is not to lose future talent to other sectors:

“The response to the Generation Logistics campaign has been incredible: in less than two years, working with our supportive sponsors and partners, we have generated more than 1.4 billion opportunities for our target audience to learn more about the sector, with information about real people doing real jobs as well as a call to action to become the logisticians of the future.

“From a standing start, this is incredibly encouraging but we must be under no illusion that the job is done. Other sectors across the economy are also experiencing their own skills shortages and we need to maintain our awareness and appeal to embed logistics as an exciting, fulfilling lifelong career to rival better-known “traditional” occupations like retail or manufacturing.

“In addition to communicating direct to young people of all backgrounds through our creative and engaging social media activity, the second year of the campaign has extended awareness to educators, with more than 3,000 downloading our curriculum-mapped classroom materials and the first Generation Logistics Week shining the spotlight on the sector for teachers and pupils alike. Our ambition for year three of the campaign is to extend our reach to younger pupils in primary education, while continuing our communication to embed logistics as a career of choice for those of all backgrounds.”

However, as Roe continues, the continued success of the campaign depends on the support of businesses from across the logistics sector:

“The ownership and success of the Generation Logistics campaign rests with every business of all sizes from across our industry, for whom involvement as a sponsor will to raise their profile as an employer of choice to young people across the UK. While we have been very successful in our first two years of activity, the job is far from completed. We need to ensure that we can shape and futureproof the sector by keeping the campaign front of mind for those making career choices, reaching as many people as possible, so that logistics becomes embedded in their minds as their top choice. I hope that we can continue to rely on the support of the whole sector and look forward to welcoming forward-thinking businesses to keep sharing the message that logistics offers a fulfilling, exciting role for everyone.”

Those interested in becoming a sponsor of Generation Logistics for year three of the campaign can find out more by emailing generationlogistics@logistics.org.uk.  The campaign is  managed by CILT (UK) and Logistics UK, and has been supported by more than 50 businesses and industry bodies

Click here to read the Prospectus.