Why pursue a career in the logistics industry?

According to a 2017 study, around 14% of 11 to 16 year olds in England and Wales are not planning on going to university. So, to mark National Careers Week and National Apprenticeship Week, Darren Ryan, Director of Morrison Freight, explains why opting for a career in logistics could be the best decision you ever make.

With the UK’s busiest container port on our doorstep, Suffolk is a prime location to pursue a career in the logistics industry.

You only need to do a quick search on a job website and you will be presented with a wide variety of roles from administration assistants to traffic operators, all looking for candidates with different levels of experience. But despite the wealth of opportunity, this does not tend to be a career path people choose. Why not?

There are a wide range of benefits of working in this industry.

The amount of apprenticeships and traineeships offered in shipping and logistics has increased drastically over recent years. This means that employees can begin their careers earlier and earn a salary while they work, a major pulling point for many youngsters. After all, results from the study showed that two-thirds (64%) of pupils that don’t want to attend university want to start earning as soon as possible or have debt concerns.

In addition to the wage, the hours we work can be appealing. The typical working day in our industry is 9 to 5 which is ideal for people who aren’t keen on working unsociable hours. We see many people come from retail or hospitality jobs because they want to regain their evenings or weekends. At Morrison Freight we employ several members of staff that either joined us straight after school or after opting for a complete change in career.

It is no secret that there is a high turnaround of staff in this industry. Perhaps this is due to the vast amount of opportunities available, the choice of companies to work for and the frequent use of LinkedIn to ‘headhunt’.

So why aren’t more people considering a career in logistics?

A recent report by UCAS confirms that a record 38.8% of 18-year-olds have applied to attend university in September 2019. But what about the remaining 61.2%?

The government are continuously working to encourage more young people to attend university so it no surprise that schools are all for promoting higher education, but perhaps less forthcoming with advice for students looking to take a different path.

We invest a lot of time and money into staff training initiatives, enabling our employees to develop and succeed in their careers. Two members of our team were recruited as part of an apprenticeship programme and have completed their NVQ in international trade and logistics – the same course I completed at 16.

One of our employees also joined us after completing a logistics course at university. So, for people who want to go to university, this could be an option. There are wide range of logistics courses available. These can be found on the UCAS website, here: https://www.ucas.com/