A new app is aiming to solve the recruitment crisis in the logistics industry.
Talent Xchange has been launched by West Midlands-based Nick Winder after he won an entrepreneur competition last year with Birmingham body SuperTech for a fully funded code development programme.
Mr Winder started his career as an agency warehouse worker in 1997 and has since gone on to hold director positions at DHL and EV Cargo before launching his own business WIN Logistics in Sutton Coldfield in 2018.
His new app aims to tackle what he said were two of the biggest challenges the industry faced in attracting new talent – a lack of awareness and poor perception.
It is aimed at educators and school, college and university leavers and provides details on the career opportunities in logistics as well as putting potential applicants in direct contact with the UK logistics firms.
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Figures released last year by industry body Logistics UK revealed that 93 per cent of businesses in the sector were having recruitment issues while the Office for National Statistics reported the highest ever number of vacancies in transport and storage, with 52,000 unfilled positions.
Mr Winder said: “Logistics is a hidden profession. Everything you can touch and see, from your coffee to your clothing, has to pass through the supply chain but very few people are aware of the huge number of high-value jobs that are created as a result of this.
“While there has been a lot of focus on the industry in recent months and years due to the effects of Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic, skills shortages have been a growing issue within the logistics for well over a decade and it isn’t just limited to HGV drivers.
“Like many careers, very few people wake up one morning and say ‘I’m going to be a logistician’ but, with high-rates of pay, an ability to problem solve and the added satisfaction of seeing the results of a job well done, they really should.
“While we’re focused on reaching people entering the world of work, there are also a huge number of vacancies available now for talented people looking for a career change.
“The fact is this isn’t a short-term problem and logistics is an industry that is here to stay, growing in importance as we increasingly rely upon online shopping and global trade.”