Companies must invest in creating a skilled and flexible workforce to maintain growth in the economic downturn, according to a speaker at a Skills for Logistics (SfL) event.

Aideen McGinley, permanent secretary at the Department for Employment and Learning, Northern Ireland Executive, spoke at the recent ‘Moving Skills Forward in Logistics in Northern Ireland‘conference, held at the Parliament Buildings at Stormont.

The aim of the event, hosted by SfL, the UK-wide sector skills council for the freight and logistics industries, was to highlight the importance of skills development, raise the profile of the logistics sector, and to create a consistent, ’All Island Skills’ solution to skills development, dedicated to combining the workforce skills needs of both Northern and Southern Ireland. More than 100 delegates attended, including people from the government and business sectors as well as representatives from the training industry, logistic trade bodies and academic organisations. 

McGinley said: “In the economic climate, the role of skills is especially important. Experience from previous periods of economic turbulence shows that those companies who have the foresight to invest in their staff will reap the benefits in the better times ahead. This will take courage and conviction on the part of employers but will be vital to our economic survival and growth.

“I am of the firm belief that skills must be at the heart of the of any dynamic and innovative economy. Only with the appropriate skilled and flexible workforce can we support the growth of the our indigenous industries and maintain levels of foreign direct investment that have benefited us so much in recent years.”

McGinley pointed out that Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border with another EU state. This has an impact on the logistics industry in Northern Ireland, because the sector faces different legislative and tax requirements and different road haulage, licensing and inspection regimes to the UK and other EU member states. This has an knock-on effect on financial, legislative and funding issues within the sector.   

A few weeks ago government ministers from across Ireland attended the first 'All Island Skills Conference’, which highlighted the need to provide a suitably skilled workforce, tailored to the needs of employers. McGinley said that, as a result of this meeting, Ireland must work collaboratively to address common problems on either side of the border.

Speaking about the importance of logistics to the economy, she said: “Logistics is one of Northern Ireland’s key industries and it is vital to the success of the local economy. We cannot do without it as everything we eat, drink, wear and use in our everyday lives has been transported and stored and other sectors rely on it for the efficient running of their operations."

Geraldine Quinn, national manager at SfL, Northern Ireland, also attended the key skills conference. She said: “Logistics is the fifth largest sector, worth £74.45bn to the UK economy and is vital to every day life and yet is not recognised for its importance. This event was key in driving skills forward to ensure that the skills required by industry to compete on a national and global scale are very much integral to our logistics workforce. During times of economic uncertainty a highly skilled workforce can make a difference to the survival of a business.

“Skills for Logistics is working to provide tools for skills development in Northern Ireland, and indeed across the UK, to help address issues such as workforce diversity and to challenge the perception of the industry so that both those within it and outside of it can see that it is a professional sector, with challenging career opportunities available.” 

The event concluded with a debate of key topics faced by the logistics sector in Northern Ireland and the UK. These included driver shortages, consistent skills development and forthcoming training legislation on the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence, which is a scheme for light goods vehicle and passenger carrying vehicle drivers who drive professionally throughout the UK. It was prompted by an EU directive t ensure all drivers train for 35 hours over a five-year period.

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