Victoria joins UKWA North West Roadshow
UKWA North West Roadshow, Warrington
Victoria joins UKWA North West Roadshow: Yesterday Victoria Pittman joined an expert panel discussion at the UKWA North West Roadshow at Jungheinrich UK in Warrington.
Safety
The keynote speech was given by headline sponsor, Asafe, who called on everyone to prioritise safety in the warehouse. The panel said it was worth remembering that despite stringent safety standards, approximately 50 people are killed in the workplace each year in the UK and more than 5,000 people are injured by workplace vehicles in the UK.
The Panel
The panel comprised Kevin Birch from TRS Training, Alex Farkas from the Department of Work & Pensions and Jennifer Swain, Director of Talent, Development & HR at Road to Logistics. Clare Bottle, Chief Executive at the UKWA. hosted the discussion.
The Discussion
The panel covered a wide range of topics in a fast-paced debate, but putting the importance of people first was essential in warehousing.
The panel took the opportunity to tackle some other important topics. There remain challenges around building and acquiring sheds in the North West. And there is an opportunity to employ ex-offenders within the sector.
Victoria shared Granby’s strategic commitment to putting their people before profit and showed how this manifests itself in building an inclusive and positive culture at Granby HQ. The company has a focus on well-being, training, and skills development.
Caroline Noblett, Granby Managing Director, was in the audience, supported this “A great discussion. The UKWA is doing tremendous work for the sector, raising critical issues at all levels; last week with Government at the Houses of Parliament, and across the industry through the 80 warehouse visits and across the regions with the Roadshow.”
Recruitment
A key talking point was recruitment. The future of the UK logistics sector depends on a stream of talent. Victoria spoke of Granby’s commitment to nurturing home grown talent with a commitment to succession planning throughout the business, not just for management roles.
Victoria’s View
Victoria had this to say “I felt we had a great discussion around the importance of people in warehousing and the value of a positive culture. What is key to future sector success is the recruitment of quality people onto warehousing teams, as the future of the sector relies on a steady stream of talent. Later this year we are looking to engage with the first ever independently accredited Warehouse Manager CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence).”
Warehouse Manager CPC
The Warehouse Manager CPC is a new UKWA qualification . The UKWA have designed the CPC to be equivalent to the well-established Transport Manager CPC. It reflects the UKWA’s commitment to driving up standards within the industry.
“A report from Prologis earlier this year revealed that logistics workers value opportunities for career progression. Yet, until now there has been no recognised qualification for warehouse managers ” Clare Bottle, UKWA. “In addition, while most senior managers in logistics do not have a university degree, the sector offers real social mobility for those with limited qualifications to gain training and move up to management positions. Warehousing is a working environment where many have started with entry-level jobs such as picking & packing and have risen to more senior roles through experience on the job. While this is good news, it also means that some staff have never received any formal training for their role, and therefore may not be performing to e very best of their ability.”
29.04.24Victoria Pittman, Head of Client Services and Business Development at Granby was back at the Houses of Parliament this month, attending a UKWA Parliamentary Reception as the UKWA launch their ‘Election Manifesto. Parliamentary Reception 23rd April 2024 Last year, Victoria attended a reception in the House of Lords to launch the UK Warehousing Association’s Year […]- 25.03.24Best ever UKWA conference Last week, Victoria Pittman, Head of Client Services/Business Development at Granby and UK Warehousing Association Board member, attended the UKWA Conference in Nottingham. Victoria was joined by our MD, Caroline Noblett. This year’s Conference was bigger and better than ever. The event was held at the East Midlands Conference Centre, located […]
- 30.10.23Last week, Victoria Pittman of Granby had the opportunity to participate in a round table discussion on the future of warehousing in the UK, alongside other members of the UK Warehousing Association (UKWA). UKWA Year of Warehousing 2024 This event took place in London and was followed by the prestigious UK House of Lords Luncheon, […]
