The logistics sector - white, middle-aged and male?

Skills for Logistics, the Sector Skills Council for the freight logistics industries, has been awarded funding of up to £100,000 from the Department for Transport to investigate workforce diversity and the current state of training provision for the logistics industry.

The research will:

• Identify current provision of industry training across both the private and public sectors
• Profile the different categories of logistics drivers and define the labour market working within those categories
• Identify workforce diversity in terms of ethnicity, gender and age
• Look at barriers to recruitment and retention of a more diverse workforce and identify ways to make industry more appealing to potential workforce

Based on the results of the research Skills for Logistics will prepare a series of recommendations to assist industry employers with their recruitment and retention strategies.

"According to the Office of National Statistics Labour Market Intelligence only 0.4% of LGV drivers (driving trucks above 7.5 tonnes) are female, 1.6% are from ethnic minority groups and 3.1% are under 25 - the industry does not reflect the true demographics of the UK and more needs to be done to encourage these groups to consider a career in logistics.

Understanding the barriers to recruitment and retention of a more diverse workforce is vital for the future of the industry," commented Stephen Wells, Head of Research at Skills for Logistics. "With the support of the DFT we are able to identify what these issues are and help employers create recruitment strategies that will help with their businesses."

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