Yesterday we had the pleasure of attending a graduation ceremony at CEMEX in Rugby to celebrate young drivers who have completed their Logistics Apprenticeship Scheme. The drivers were the fourth cohort to take part in the apprenticeship scheme which was created jointly by CEMEX and System Group. They are the second cohort to be funded under the new levy scheme, which helps to address a recognised UK skills gap, due to an aging driver population, by recruiting individuals age

Last week thousands of students were on tenterhooks waiting for the results that would define their last two years of studying A-Levels. But while universities are vocal, what role are businesses playing in this process? Every year, students are brainwashed into believing that these exam results from A-Levels are the only route to a successful future career, but that’s simply just not the case. Although figures show that UK university applications actually decreased by four p

With the impending Government led Apprenticeship Levy, how have you decided to select your training organisation? It’s estimated that 22,000 employers are eligible to draw down levy funding, and with only 1,708 providers having made it onto the Register of Approved Training Providers (RoATP), there’s a substantial shortage of suitable training organisations available to deliver quality apprenticeships for your business. Let alone those specific to the logistics sector. Theref

Apprenticeships are now bigger than ever, with more individuals opting for life as an apprentice over college or university. Even some celebrities took an apprenticeship to begin their careers. Here are a few: Sir Ian McKellen The Hobbit Actor, Sir Ian Mckellen, started his career as an apprentice. He completed a three-year acting apprenticeship with the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry. It payed off, as McKellen has become one of the most famous actors in British history! John F

The new Apprenticeship Trailblazers are a fantastic initiative that will ensure that apprenticeships have more real world significance as they are written by the industry for the industry. Employers from across the relevant industries collaborated to produce qualifications and delivery that will ensure that new apprentices are the best trained and most fully equipped for their roles and their industry. The Express Delivery Trailblazer will introduce apprentices to the heady w

If your inbox and news feed is anything like mine, the New Year Resolutions emails and posts are a gift that won’t stop giving, however much we might like them to! And for many of us, whatever resolutions we make, if we make any at all, will likely be abandoned within a few weeks. Let’s make resolutions, then, that are too valuable and important to give up on and there a few that, especially this year, we could stick to and really benefit from. The Autumn Statement in 2016 hi

Concerns have been expressed by the Road Haulage Association that many transport companies are still unaware that they will be required to pay the Apprenticeship Levy from April 2017. Colin Snape, RHA deputy policy director – employment and skills, estimates that the levy will be payable by haulage firms with roughly 80 trucks or more or those with smaller fleets that have other activities within the business, such as van operations, warehousing, or workshops. The levy doesn’

We need drivers – I know that, you know that, we all in fact know that. Professional driving offers a genuine career with long-term prospects in a rapidly expanding industry. Who wouldn’t want to be part of that? Well, here’s the problem – to many people, lorry driving has a certain image: brutal hours, uncomfortable sleeping accommodation, and inadequate facilities, all packaged together with the frayed twine of low pay. We know though that there are a lot of different types

Ten young drivers have graduated in the CEMEX Logistics Apprenticeship scheme and have become the latest aggregate tipper and cement tanker drivers at locations across the country. The drivers were the second cohort to take part in the Apprenticeship scheme which is run over 12 months and helps to address a recognized UK skills gap of an aging driver population by recruiting individuals aged 18 to 23. In the industry, 62% of drivers are aged 45 years or over with only 1% unde

When you look at the logistics industry, every role in the logistics machine is vital – if a cog slips, the machine stops. A Transport Manager is one such integral, essential role. The Transport Manager must ensure that vehicles and staff within the business are legally compliant. That includes vehicle maintenance, driver licence compliance, or financial issues to name but a few. Whilst they may not always have the responsibility of the final decision, they are expected to un