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Reason for asking is that my son has been at the same company for a few years now. Started off picking/packing, pretty menial jobs, then as he got to grips with that he 'ended up' in the office doing some new Excel based stuff, even showing managers how it worked, for no extra dosh. He kicked off & got a pay rise above & beyond what everyone else was on but still only about 17K. He can now do most jobs in & around the place & is a team leader of 15. They've just paid to do his fork lift certificate as well.
Yesterday he was approached by the logistics team 'upstairs' & asked if he wanted to give that a go. It's an extra 1.5K a year so he said he would go for it.
He's now 30 with no 'real' qualifications, but he's a grafter with a sense of responsibility & a great work ethic.
What else could he do/should he be doing?
(even though the moneys crap he quite enjoys the job!)
What else could he do/should he be doing?
Studying for some relevant qualifications to continue his progression.
yes, but relatively limited in a single site operation..... once you go into the wider supply chain, so considering how stuff comes to be in the warehouse and where / how it goes out of the warehouse then a different set of roles open up - procurement, transport planning / logistics, demand planning, statistical forecasting / modelling, etc.
Dunno, but we're looking for a Logistics Team Leader up in Burnley if that's any use to you?
Former DHL UK CEO started at the bottom...
Get involved with anything he can.
Any process change, testing or new things going on get in there.
MrsDHT's is a project manager for a large logistics and warehousing provider and is often saying that few of the people at the coalface seem interested in progression. He sounds like he is not thinking this way.
Ask line manager or look on website about what training is available, the company my wife works for have a passport scheme which encourages everyone to keep training in new things.
I've worked in the transport & logistics sector since leaving school in the 60s (now retired). There are many levels & areas to choose from but gaining experience along with qualifications is the way to go. Can I suggest you have a look at the Charted Institute of Logistics website for some insight into the varied world of logistics. I was a member of the institute for 25yrs.
Also, what is his location?
LOTS of work in the Avonmouth area for Warehousing people at the moment.
Demand for useful people will only go up.
so considering how stuff comes to be in the warehouse and where / how it goes out of the warehouse then a different set of roles open up - procurement, transport planning / logistics, demand planning, statistical forecasting / modelling, etc.
Hmm, he probably knows about the 1st part of that & may learn more about the 2nd part in his new role, I'll pass that on to him. Thanks TOJV.
Studying for some relevant qualifications to continue his progression.
Any idea of any courses relevant? Open Uni maybe?
He's a bit like me & not money driven but I want to point him in a better direction that I went!
Dunno, but we're looking for a Logistics Team Leader up in Burnley if that's any use to you?
He's in Seaham, County Durham, bugger.
Thanks Dt's & Pennine, I'll pass that info on. Great stuff!
as above, CILT (stop it!!)
run lots of training and courses and seminars on the various aspects.
@essel; all posts ^^^ are sound advice. He could/should talk with employer about CILT (chartered institute) exams & qualification; willl they subsidise him, provide study leave, jointly develop progression/development plan, what about fast track promotion incentives. Additional training courses - people management, project management.
Demonstrate to his employer that he has a commitment to CPD - continual/continuous professional development.
If the MD said to him - what does essel's lad want to do next, have an answer ready; not just next job but several steps on and something about how how he willl get there.
Have a focus and go for it; needs support from people around him.
If he shows that he's a 'learning sponge' who absorbs everything - you say he's now 30 so tell him to do it......now.
Lots of us have been there; starting from either no academic qualifications or no relevant professional qualifications and then thinking - that was fun but how do I succeed in the real world.
He can do it; go and tell him he can - with some 'hints' about how he can.
Reason for asking is that my son has been at the same company for a few years now. Started off picking/packing, pretty menial jobs, then as he got to grips with that he 'ended up' in the office doing some new Excel based stuff, even showing managers how it worked, for no extra dosh. He kicked off & got a pay rise above & beyond what everyone else was on but still only about 17K. He can now do most jobs in & around the place & is a team leader of 15. They've just paid to do his fork lift certificate as well.
Anything that requires Good Distribution Practice will lead to some alright careers - eg pharmaceuticals, transplants, munitions, nuclear waste etc. It's like anything, there is a high end and low end in all industries.
Great stuff! I've linked him to this thread, even though he's not on STW.
He's handy on a bike as well mind!
Cheers everyone! (all I have to do is make sure he reads it all)
(even though the moneys crap he quite enjoys the job!)
That’s an important point, money isn’t everything, and unless he’s really struggling then developing his skills within a work environment that he’s happy in and enjoys, is arguably worth more than two or three thousand a year with stress and unhappiness attached.
Having his forklift accreditation paid for is worth a few bob, and he could argue that having that should be worth extra pay, because it expands his usefulness to the company in the event of staff holiday/sickness.
Does he enjoy the excel stuff and how good is he?
- conditional formatting and attractive reports?
- more complex formula like lookups?
- linking to external data sources?
- pivot tables?
- macros?
He can earn more just by being good at this (no formal quals), if he understands the practicalities of picking and shipping product then that will help in some places. If he can write code he could fairly soon double his current salary. Attitude and ability to solve problems (especially "unsexy" problems) is more important than qualifications! On the other hand that might (?) involve more pressure, longer hours etc.
Just looking at doing some work in that sector as a consultant,
How well does he know the WMS?
Have a look at some of the lean/6 Sigma texts for improvements - saving money makes you popular
How does he see the place running? IE if he was in charge what would he change?
"The construction perspective" More and more stuff is being built for warehousing, less and less stuff is being sold from shops. I've been building sheds for the last 15/20 years and people are now reinvesting heavily in warehousing after quite a dramatic slump 5 years ago.
From my past experience - lots of companies were reducing their warehouse facilities, and concentrating on getting orders in & out asap.
Of course the Asda and Tesco's etc are tied to the large warehouses for their model.
As others have said; get useful qualifications he can use and take away to other companies/sectors. When I was made redundant the various qualifications I had accumulated were pretty useless except if I found another company doing the exact same thing.
If he is a team leader then get qualifications based around that to start; leadership/management skills. Start with an equivalent NVQ3 ... anything less is basically useless.
Any career to be made in warhousing/logistics?
Yes. Young Miss Moses went into logistics for a major drinks maufacturer after uni, and at 25 was a team leader, earning £30k+. She's moved on to another food industry company managing supply chain now. Getting the right supplies into the factory and drinks or whatever on all the right shelves of all the right supermarkets with minimum transport and storage costs is difficult. Liaison with producers and packaging manufacturers is also needed.
What about Nissan or one of its suppliers?
I guess career could be defined in three ways, depending on your outlook
- long term employment
- progression with increased accountability and responsibility
- increase in cash
1st is pretty safe. 2nd is almost definite with drive and determination, but what period of time are you hoping to achieve this. 3rd is the question, 18.5k is still well under the national average
The £18.5 wage kinda says to me that the place has an east European workforce already ... or hoping to in the near future.
Not the kind of place I'd expect to provide a stable or prosperous employment.
This may be a bit "outing" but the NHS are always looking for people with these skills.
Have a look for "Ward Inventory Controller" or "procurement" on NHS Jobs for a £17Kfoot in the door. Post professional qualifications £40-60k
[url= http://www.jobs.nhs.uk/xi/search_vacancy/c5523a2ae4c46b946e137e27fd437af6/ ]Linky[/url]
The works always interesting and the social side is excellent.
I worked part-time in warehousing and logistics when I was doing my first degree. Menial stuff for the most part, but I got asked to do other tasks as well. I quite enjoyed it.
Having said that, there seemed to be scope for movement for those who had the mind and wherewithal for it. So, for example, the owner of the company I worked for had started life as a lorry driver who then invested in a second lorry, and then another, before starting his own company. But there were others, too, who just moved up and became significant figures in the business.
I would say your son should just look at opportunities for self-development, and maybe stick with it.
The £18.5 wage kinda says to me that the place has an east European workforce already ... or hoping to in the near future.Not the kind of place I'd expect to provide a stable or prosperous employment.
It hasn't actually. The company is Jaques Vert, who supply ladies clothing to the likes of Debenhams etc. Most of the staff at his place are local Mackems!
He knows the company are moving more into mail order & will probably downsize the workforce again at some point. They did this recently & got rid of over 250 staff, including his boss, but kept him.
Ess i was in logistics 20 years ago, in oil and gas, even then you got no credit for just maintaining the status quo. The smart money was going into efficiency so any initiative to save money was well rewarded.
I m well out of it now and suspect it is even more competitive so i d be looking at getting skills in anything making the supply chain lean and mean.
Good luck, tapping away on the terrace at the villa
Good luck, tapping away on the terrace at the villa
You Knob! 😀 😀
Hope things are good Neil!
@samunkim - procurement in the NHS requires MCIPS & OJEU experience so would probably be a non-starter for young essel.
Essel - some options for your lad to consider:
- Hays & Michael Page both have dedicated logistics recruitment functions; he could use the websites to search for opportunities and/or look at current vacancies to get some idea of the skills set/experience/
qualifications employers are looking for.
- identify (major) manufacturers in the area and search their websites
- major hauliers
- do any of the major retailers have distribution centres (DCs) in his area
- Newcastle Airport cargo hub for freight forwarders
- Tees Valley freight & logistics hub; airport and Teesport might be worth looking into
- Port of Tyne at North Shields
There are probably some specialist recruiters in the logistics space; online search to see what sort of vacancies they're managing.
I started in a logistics role at 18 with zero qualifications and zero experience. I'm now (11 years on) in a management role, earning good money, getting loads of great experience, and working towards a Logistics Management BSc.
Every company anywhere in the world ( with a few possible exceptions in the service industry ) needs some kind of logistics function in order to work. It's a huge field with loads of opportunities.
a friend of mine makes a tidy living as a Kaizen/Canban consultant. - no degree or owt, just good at it.
From my past experience - lots of companies were reducing their warehouse facilities, and concentrating on getting orders in & out asap.
Which just creates more roles in Logistics, planning and managing the Just in Time process. Huge amount of work involved in getting stuff out of China and into the UK on time, we have a whole team who do nothing but keeping the pipeline flowing....
From my past experience - lots of companies were reducing their warehouse facilities, and concentrating on getting orders in & out asap.
They might be reducing staffing levels, relying on technology for picking and suchlike, but judging by the number of huge buildings going up everywhere, particularly places like Avonmouth, which has loads of empty, flat land around, there seems to be no shortage of actual warehouse capacity, and some are enormous! The Range has one there that’s something like a million sq ft, and driving around up near Blackpool, Liverpool and all around there today, the likes of Amazon have equally colossal sheds going up everywhere.
I went inside The Range "shed" last month FV*$ me it's HUGE. Looking down the ends of the aisles, it just goes on and on..
It took ages to drive round the site (At 10mph)
There are more going up all around it at the moment, Lidle, DHL, Davies Turner. They are all competing for staff at the moment.
Best career (Most in demand) in logistics at the moment.....
Truck driver?
Chef?
http://www.army.mod.uk/logistic/23443.aspx
There are much better options within defence, I'd suggest. Either elsewhere in the RLC, or in the other services. In my (biased) opinion, obviously.
The Chef trades are not in a good place unfortunately, and over the last few years have been easy prey for contractors.
The only places safe from the contractors are the deployable roles.