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Skills for Logistics (SfL) is calling on the industry to bid for £280m from the government if it is to match the uptake of funding for NVQs and Skills for Life in comparable sectors such as construction. NVQs and Skills for Life, a literacy and numeracy course, are publicly funded qualifications which have been proven to improve company productivity as well as increase staff retention.

Mick Jackson, operations director  at SfL, says: "We calculate that there are 330,000 logistics employees lacking basic literacy skills and 450,000 lacking basic numeracy skills. "Over 47% of the logistics work force is qualified below Level 2 (equivalent to GCSE grades A* to C), which simply does not make good business sense." The figure of £280m has been issued as part of an ongoing campaign by SfL launched in January this year called 'Skills Pay'.

Jackson continues: "Why is it that the construction industry, which employs a similar number of people to logistics, receives 13% of publicly funded training, while logistics receives less than 2%? "The government is keen to address the issue of low skills across all sectors of the economy and is increasing the funding available in England - so let's go for it."