News

Skills for Logistics' (SfL) bid for development funding for a national skills academy for logistics has been shortlisted by the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). It is unclear how much funding will be available from the DIUS, which will make its decision by the end of this month.

So far, a dozen academies have been approved by the government, covering the likes of construction, food and drink manufacturing, and financial services. And while these have tended  to focus on a single building acting as a single point of delivery, SfL's plan is for a 'notional' national academy for England comprised of nine regional academies.

SfL's academy vision brings together further education and higher education institutions, as well as private-sector training providers. Each regional academy (or hub) will act as a one-stop shop, with services supplied by quality-assured training providers (or spokes), ultimately overseen by industry employers. A pilot is already underway in the North-West, with the University of Cumbria acting as the hub. Assuming SfL gets funding, the regional academies will be operational in September 2009.

Dr Mick Jackson, recently confirmed as SfL's new chief executive officer (following Ian Hetherington's decision to take early retirement in May), says: "A national skills academy for logistics will further professionalise training and skills development in the industry, making it financially and physically more accessible  for all companies to embrace and to offer to their employees. "The funding bid is for England, but we will need the same [academy format and funding] in the devolved administrations."

SfL's bid was supported by Palletline Distribution, Unipart Logistics, Port of Tilbury and the DfT. Meanwhile, SfL is carrying out a telephone survey of the key business and skills issues logistics operators face. "The survey of 4,500 organisations will give us a better understanding of the challenges businesses face and identify the key drivers for employers when it comes to skills training," explains SfL director of marketing and research Lucinda Ward.