One of the largest freight associations in the UK has underlined the importance of recruiting apprenticeships and training the future heads of the industry.
The British International Freight Association (BIFA) has reiterated the need to train the next generation of freight forwarding apprentices as industries transform in the wake of the current circumstances.
With a sharp decline of apprenticeship starts according to government statistics, the problem with recruiting the future of the industry is not limited to freight forwarding services.
However, given that international trade and shipping is an industry that has changed significantly over the last few years and is likely to change even more in the future, the need to preserve the future of the sector becomes even more important.
Part of the reason for the decline in apprenticeships is a twofold consequence of the effects of the national lockdown. The first is that some organisations are less willing to train an employee on the job that they will be unable to meet for a significant period of time.
As well as this, the economic effect of the lockdown has had many organisations looking for areas in which to make savings, with apprentices often, unfortunately, being part of these savings.
Carl Hobbis, BIFA’s executive director, argues that whilst it is a “tough call” for many businesses to make, given how much has changed in the freight industry in particular, there is a particular need for new apprentices to learn and help to teach new customs standards and freight protocol.
Funding schemes are available from the government for organisations who wish to bring in a new apprentice, offering up to £2000 per new hire.
