Youth unemployment is back in the spotlight and rightly so. With close to a million young people not in education, employment or training, the Government’s £1 billion youth employment drive is both timely and necessary. The ambition is clear. Through the Youth Guarantee, ministers want to ensure every 16 to 24-year-old has access to work, training or further education, backed by significant investment and employer incentives.
For employers, the offer is compelling. A new Youth Jobs Grant will provide £3,000 for eligible hires, while SMEs can access a £2,000 incentive for taking on young apprentices. And the expanded Jobs Guarantee will subsidise tens of thousands of roles for young people who have struggled to find work.
On paper, this is exactly the kind of intervention our sector has been calling for. Warehousing and logistics businesses need people. Young people need opportunities. The alignment should be obvious.
But there is a problem.
Children are unlikely to encounter logistics in the classroom during their time in school and, until very recently, careers guidance included next to no material on jobs in our sector. As we have said before, if you have never heard of logistics, you are unlikely to choose a career in it.
This is not a marginal issue. Warehousing sits at the heart of the UK economy and is increasingly a high-tech, high-skill environment. Yet awareness still lags far behind reality.
The good news is that progress is being made. UKWA is proud to support Generation Logistics, the government-backed campaign shifting these perceptions and attracting new talent into the sector. We have also established our own Young People’s Advisory Board, ensuring that the voices of the next generation are heard directly within our industry.
Initiatives like these matter. They bring real-world insight, challenge outdated assumptions and help employers better understand what young people are looking for in a career. But awareness alone is not enough.
If this £1 billion investment is to deliver a lasting impact, it must be aligned with the sectors that are actually creating jobs. Warehousing and logistics must be front and centre of that conversation.
Our recent Skills Policy Paper sets out a clear plan: government-backed pathways, simplified access to funding for employers, and urgent approval of new training such as the Warehouse Manager Level 4 Apprenticeship based on our CPC qualification. These are practical, deliverable steps that would make a real difference.
There is also a role for employers. The Youth Guarantee offers a genuine opportunity to build a pipeline of talent, but it will only work if businesses engage. That means offering placements, supporting apprenticeships and working with Jobcentres to open your doors for young people.
The prize is significant. A more diverse, better-skilled workforce. Stronger businesses. And a generation of young people with a clear route into meaningful careers.
The funding is there. The intent is there. Now we just need to make sure logistics is part of it.
Clare Bottle
UKWA, CEO
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