Women in Logistics UK believes that Logistics is the UK’s most underrated career choice

Women in Logistics UK believes that Logistics is the UK’s most underrated career choice.  The organisation is supporting National Careers Week (3^rd to 7^th March 2014) as the ideal time to raise the industry’s profile.  Vice Chair, Clare Bottle, will be spending the week visiting schools, highlighting the benefits of a career in logistics to students – girls in particular.

Clare points out “We all depend on logistics every day, but when it comes to recruiting young people, the industry’s fatal flaw is that you only notice it when it goes wrong”.  In a parliamentary debate last June (see footnote 1) MPs acknowledged that careers advice in schools is too often obtained solely from parents and teachers.  Consequently, children tend to aim for a limited range of careers which are readily visible to them.

A 2012 study (see footnote 2) of seven-year olds found that most children aspired to one of just twelve popular occupations: teacher, scientist, hairdresser, sports player, fire fighter, police officer, artist, actor/entertainer, animal carer, vet, doctor and builder.  Girls’ and boys’ target careers were different, with a tendency to follow gender expectations, which was most marked in the case of hairdressing.  Over 9% of girls preferred this career option, compared with just 0.1% of boys.

But the truth is that in the UK there are fewer than 250,000 (see footnote 3) jobs in hair and beauty: the industry is simply too small to satisfy the aspirations of 9% of schoolgirls.  Yet the colossal 2.3 million (see footnote 4) jobs in logistics are largely being overlooked.  Women in Logistics UK is launching a new campaign during National Careers Week, promoting a stark message to girls across the UK: “Hairdressing?  There are ten times as many jobs in Logistics”.

~NOTES~

About Women in Logistics:

About Clare Bottle:

National Careers Week – www.nationalcareersweek.com

Women in Logistics UK is a networking & campaigning organisation with over 3,500 members.

With over 20 years logistics experience, including work for Transport for London, M&S and Lafarge Tarmac, Clare Bottle is a former Director of the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport UK (www.ciltuk.org.uk) and is currently Vice-Chair of Women in Logistics UK and a Trustee of the transport and logistics charity Transaid (www.transaid.org).  She may be contacted via Twitter @clarebottle

Footnotes:

[1] Hansard 24^th June 2013 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm130624/debtext/130624-0004.htm#13062456000002

[1] Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Institute of Education, University of London http://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/news.aspx?itemid=2299&itemTitle=What+we+may+be+able+to+learn+from+young+children%E2%80%99s+career+dreams&sitesectionid=905&sitesectiontitle=Press+Releases

[1] industry statistics from the Hair & Beauty Industry Authority http://www.habia.org/c/1910/industry-statistics

[1] industry statistics from Skills for Logistics, the Sector Skills Council http://skillsforlogistics.org/home/about/overview/

Resources for Careers in Logistics:

There is a wide range of logistics industry resources to support Careers Advisors, Teachers, Parents and Students who want to learn more about logistics:

1. BiS Henderson Academy  (www.bis-hendersonacademy.com ) – specialised logistics apprenticeships with on the job training
2. Business on the Move (www.businessonthemove.org ) – a fun board game which introduces logistics concepts to children
3. Careers in Logistics (www.careersinlogistics.co.uk )– a specialised recruitment website, showcasing current vacancies from across the industry
4. CILT Careers Information (www.ciltuk.org.uk/Careers/CareersInformation.aspx )– online guide to careers within logistics and transport from the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport, packed with useful contacts
5. Delivering Your Future (www.deliveringyourfuture.co.uk ) – information for 11 – 19 year olds from the Road Haulage and Distribution Training Council
6. Logistics Locker (http://logisticslocker.co.uk/ )– resource toolkits for Schools & Colleges, Graduates, Employees and Employers, from the Sector Skills Council
7. Love Logistics (www.lovelogistics.co.uk) – videos, games and reports from the Freight Transport Association which bring the industry to life
8. Made in China (http://madeinchinaresources.co.uk/ )– a curriculum resource for 14 – 16 year olds supporting maths and enterprise through a logistics case-study
9. Novus Trust (www.novus.uk.com/ ) – a new undergraduate scheme for potential logistics and supply chain managers, with a guaranteed job at the end
10. Think Logistics (www.think-logistics.co.uk )– an initiative to provide industry experts  and teaching resources for visits to schools

Additional footnote, added 2021:

FutureLearnCareers (https://futurelearncareers.today/) – matches careers to  education and skills.