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The importance of self-employed courier driver jobs to the UK economy isn’t in doubt. Not only is the industry exceptionally important in terms of the taxation revenue it generates for the exchequer, but it’s also critical as one of the main logistical arteries of UK industry and commerce. If you’re currently working in the industry, you probably don’t need to be told that. However, a sobering - not to mention worrying - thought is the fact that our industry is often virtually ‘invisible’ when it comes to school careers discussions. Now you may not be losing any sleep at night worrying about what the kids in your local fifth form may or may not think about our industry. Yet it really should feature far more prominently as a concern for many companies – and here’s why. Getting the Right People Many surveys show that generic recruitment continues to be a major problem for the courier industry, with shortages of good-quality staff being an on-going issue. Those companies employing their own personnel know that well. However, even companies using self-employed contractors report similar challenges and end-customers have also voiced concerns over difficulties in “finding a good courier when you need one”. That’s why the fact that the courier and logistics industries are often entirely ‘dark’ on the school leavers’ radar should be a concern to us all. Many youngsters have little or no idea what the courier and logistics industry actually is, and there’s therefore no surprise at the blank stares we often see when raising with them the subject of self-employed courier driver jobs (amongst others). Facing Competition from Other Industries Whatever the current hiccups in the economy might be as an immediate post-Brexit reaction, the UK remains a buoyant commercial environment with relatively low unemployment levels. As a result, employers and industries need to work hard to increase their profile with the next generation of school leavers if they’re to attract new blood into positions and roles. Like it or not, the courier industry needs to do more in this arena and that’s why a new initiative is to be welcomed. The Initiative Think Logistics and the charity Career Ready have worked to launch an important initiative aimed at addressing some of these concerns. This comprises things such as major seminars and sponsored summer-holiday internships for students looking to gain familiarity with areas such as logistics and self-employed courier driver jobs. It has been a huge success, with over 1,000 students attending the workshops. In fact, the initiative has received a well-deserved award from the Motor Transport industry. True, no single initiative of this type can entirely solve the problem. All sectors of the courier industry need to think how they can contribute towards increasing the public recognition of the important work we do. Some of that may involve building much stronger links into our local communities, including the education sector. This is all about taking the long view and finding the time and, yes, the money, to invest in the future. More efforts of the local type, as well as larger initiatives, such as those above, may help to attract the people that will be needed to take on those self-employed courier driver jobs in the years ahead. Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Courier Exchange, the world's largest neutral trading hub for same day self employed courier driver jobs in the express freight exchange industry. Over 4,000 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.
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