Employers and stakeholders in the logistics sector, working with Skills for Logistics (SfL), have been told that their bid for a National Skills Academy in Logistics (NSAL), under the Government’s flagship National Skills Academy programme, has been approved and now moves to the business planning stage supported by The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Skills Funding Agency.
The decision is recognition by Government and the NSA panel that logistics is a vital sector where skills make a vital contribution to efficiency, profitability and business success. The NSAL provides the sector with a huge opportunity to raise the bar on skills and to put in place world-class services to the industry.
Paul Brooks, chairman of Skills for Logistics, and an executive director of Unipart Logistics, is leading the bid team. Brooks said: “We have passed the final hurdle, in what was a very competitive bidding round, and are able to move to the business planning stage. We were always confident that ours was a strong proposal with commitment from a wide range of employers who joined Skills for Logistics in creating a proposal that met their requirements. The business plan will be developed with clear employer input and when we go live in 2011 our National Skills Academy proposal will promote and maximise skills development across the logistics workforce.”
The NSAL will develop and implement a one stop service for employers and those working in the logistics sector who need help to access advice and skills development solutions. It will build on the work undertaken in a number of pilot schemes in the English regions.
The NSAL will support all subsectors of the logistics industry, and will cover all supply chains, ensuring that training capability and capacity meets the future needs of UK logistics companies and their customers. A priority will be to promote the critical importance and return on investment of skills to companies that are not aware of the value of such skills development in the modern economy.
During the business planning stage the NSAL will work with employers and stakeholders to ensure that existing best practice is reflected in the NSAL offer and there is no unnecessary replication of provision. The NSAL will harness existing structures to minimise the need to invest money into unnecessary capital spend so that the funding invested into the academy will go directly to support demand-led training activity.
Andy Lawrence, managing director of Maxims Logistics and a member of the Board of the UK Warehousing Association, said: “Moving to the business planning stage sends out a clear signal that the National Skills Academy in Logistics is in position to address the future skills needs of our industry. It will make a real difference to the many employers in our sector who want access to skills solutions but are confused with the wide variety of training provision on offer. The academy will provide an employer responsive offer based on the principles behind the Training Quality Standard.
The proposal is already supported by over 80 employers including The Port of Tilbury, part of the Forth Ports Group, who will be closely involved in the development in the business plan. Simon Harper, training and development manager, Port of Tilbury, said: “We have been working closely with Skills for Logistics to develop the NSAL. The success of the UK economy depends on the logistics sector and the port side of the industry is integral to that success. The NSAL will deliver flexible, cost effective and relevant services to a wide cross section of the industry and we are pleased to be part of the successful proposal.”
Lord Mandelson, then Business, Innovation and Skills Secretary, confirmed that the proposal had been successful at an update on the Government’s New Industry, New Jobs strategy at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, London, at 9am on Wednesday 17 March. Lord Mandelson said: “New academies and investment by employers, in partnership with colleges and the education sector, will create the best training that gives people the skills they need to boost their careers and drive the economy forward.”
Dr Mick Jackson, chief executive of Skills for Logistics, said: “We have worked with our employer team to develop a robust proposal supported by the sector. Our bid faced tough competition in this round and it is a tribute to the work of the employer led project team that we were successful. We have already developed a high-level business model that means the academy will be self-supporting within three years. We are delighted that we can now work with the LSC and BIS to develop a detailed business plan to take this forward. Our intention is that the NSAL will go live in April 2011.”
