Raising awareness of a career in logistics among school leavers is the focus of a nationwide strategy.

The initiative, supported by the Logistics Institute at the University of Hull working in partnership with Franklin College, aims to encourage 16-19 year olds who are in further study to consider logistics and the supply chain sector as a future career path.

Franklin College in Grimsby has been appointed as one of five Logistics Career Ready Centres in the UK. These centres are being backed by a scheme called Think Logistics and Career Ready, a national charity that links schools and colleges with employers to help prepare young people for the world of work.  Students who attend Franklin College will be offered the opportunity to participate in a two-year enrichment programme of master classes, internships and mentoring.

Dr Sarah Shaw, a lecturer in logistics and supply chain management at Hull University Business School, will act as a mentor for the programme and was one of the guest speakers at the launch event at the college on Thursday, 4 June.

Dr Shaw said: “I am delighted to be speaking at the launch of such a worthwhile programme. It has the potential to really make a difference to the lives of the students, opening their eyes to new career possibilities and offering the chance of success in a sector that is becoming increasingly important.”  She added that the UK is experiencing a significant shortfall in the number of talented people entering the logistics sector at the moment.

“With the advent of City of Culture in 2017, we are expecting the sector to grow substantially over the next two years,” she said.  “The region is going to require a significant number of new people to work across a variety of logistics roles.”

Franklin College is currently looking for supporters within the logistics industry who are passionate about raising the aspiration of students and who would be willing to offer support through a variety of means, including pupil mentoring, internship opportunities, guest speaking and company visits.

If you are interested in working with Franklin College, please contact Emma Swinburn on emma.swinburn@franklin.ac.uk or 01472 875000 for more details.


Photo: Dr Sarah Shaw