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Generation Logistics

By Mark Nicholson

March 2025

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Roles and rewards for all in the logistics universe

How can we attract fresh talent into the logistics industry and related sectors? Mark Nicholson looks at Generation Logistics* – a unique initiative raising awareness of the exciting and rewarding career opportunities on offer.

To generate interest amongst potential future employees, we suggest you share the following article widely – along with the campaign’s web address: www.generationlogistics.org. Generation Logistics is UK-based, but its career advice will be equally inspiring and educational to young people in any country.

What really goes on in a logistics operation? Many people wrongly believe it’s just about lorry driving. In fact, it’s a world of diverse activities and opportunities.

Why work in logistics?

Generation Logistics describes logistics as:

An underexposed, often misunderstood sector.
Offering incredible role diversity, great pay, and some of the most rapid progression prospects of any career anywhere.
Delivering complex work that’s essential to the modern world.

Sadly, most people seem to think logistics work is just about lorry driving. To correct that misunderstanding, let’s briefly define what logistics really is.

Put simply, logistics means:

The right thing, in the right place, at the right time.

It’s about getting materials and goods from where they’re gathered or produced to where they’re needed. Between the starting point and final delivery to a customer, logistics feeds a supply chain involving several stages. Typically, this includes movements to and from factories and warehouses. There are also reverse flows, returning unwanted, faulty or worn-out goods for reuse, repair or recycling.

Everything in the modern global economy depends on logistics. For example, without well-planned logistics, factories would run out of materials and components. Shop shelves would be empty. Fast home deliveries would be impossible. Logistics is vitally important to the world we live in – which is one reason why it’s so fulfilling.

Getting the right things to the right places at the right times requires many different people, activities and skills. Whatever a young person’s interests, personality and level of qualification, this industry has a job for him or her. Openings range from entry-level pathways to graduate programmes. Workers may also transfer from other sectors to start a new career. And wherever their journey begins, recruits will find great scope for advancement.

Getting the right things to the right places at the right times requires many different people, activities and skills.

*What is Generation Logistics?

Generation Logistics is a first-of-its-kind industry awareness campaign aimed at addressing skills shortages. Its activities are changing young people’s perception of logistics and highlighting the huge variety of jobs available. Launched in 2022, the initiative is managed by industry bodies CILT (UK) – Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport – and Logistics UK.

Central to its activities is the website, www.generationlogistics.org. This acts as one-stop information source for anyone thinking about a career in logistics.

There is also an Education Hub for educators looking to guide the development of children and students.

The campaign has made creative use of social media and has reached out to those aged 13 to24 using a variety of channels. In its second year alone, it generated more than 3.1 million social media engagements, 580,000 website visits and 3,700 downloads of curriculum-linked educational materials.

How can you get involved?

Businesses from a large cross-section of the logistics sector have helped to spread the word. At its simplest, this can mean sharing and engaging with social media posts.

The most committed companies and organisations have signed up as sponsors. More are needed. Rewards for sponsorship include a raised profile and a strong image as an employer, supporting recruitment efforts.

Young people already working in logistics can become Ambassadors for the industry. More than 350 have joined the Ambassador Network so far. By sharing their own experiences, they inspire and attract the next generation. In return, they gain in terms of personal and professional development.

Huge variety – and scope for development

The Generation Logistics website breaks our industry down into 14 key areas. This alone is enough to emphasise the diversity of jobs involved. The site has sections for:

Warehousing
Transportation
Engineering
Sales and Marketing
Customer Care
Environment and Sustainability
Customs and International Trade
Solutions Design
Infrastructure
Digital Tech
Consultancy
Operations Excellence
Human Resources
Finance

Under each of the ‘job families’ above, there is further diversification into a range of more specific roles. For these, the site gives:

Role description
Salary prospects
Entry requirements
What sort of person

Everyone should be able to find an area of logistics that’s a good fit for them. One that matches with the subjects they want to study and the things they like doing. The site’s Find Your Future quiz can help with this. There’s guidance on pathways into a logistics career, as well as lists of current opportunities for training and employment. For inspiration, more than 150 people who have started their career journey in logistics give their personal views in the site’s Logistics Stories section.

Nothing gets where it needs to be without warehouse operatives! From entry-level positions, logistics workers can progress to more specialised and managerial roles.

Warehouse – the engine room of logistics

Warehousing is a job family of particular interest to Eureka readers. In simple terms, it’s about storing and organising goods or materials received, and preparing them for outbound transport. In practice, it’s a highly complex operation whose efficiency depends on effective cooperation between many staff.

For anyone seeking an entry-level position, the role of a ‘warehouse operative’ is ideal. Skills can be quickly learned on the job. Essentially, warehouse operatives are there to move goods – whether on foot or using materials handling equipment such as forklift trucks.

This role increasingly involves use of advanced technology. It also offers progression to managerial positions for those with leadership skills. Roles for managers and team leaders in warehousing include planning, compliance, stock control and quality training. Forklift fleet management is another important responsibility for warehouse managers.

Let’s hear it for forklift drivers

Forklift truck operators play a big part in internal logistics, or intralogistics – the flow of materials and goods within a warehouse or factory. Clare Bottle, CEO of the UK Warehousing Association, a Generation Logistics partner, sums up the forklift drivers’ crucial and fulfilling role:

“While there is plenty of news coverage about the shortage of HGV drivers in the logistics industry, there is not so much about the demand for more FLT drivers. This is a skilled job, often working with cutting-edge technology in a fast-moving environment. The job is less about heavy lifting, but rather requires precision, skill and safety awareness

Clare Bottle, CEO, UK Warehousing Association.

“Forklifts are increasingly intuitive, comfortable and easy to operate regardless of physical strength. Accordingly, more women than ever are becoming forklift truck drivers despite the traditional masculine image. Part of the attraction of the job is shift patterns and flexible hours, allowing both men and women to work around their families, and achieve a better work/life balance.

“Furthermore, there is no need for a higher education qualification, although obviously specialist training is required to become a certified operator. Finally, with the growth of warehousing, there are plenty of opportunities for career advancement.”

Forklift driving: a valuable skilled role offering job satisfaction and good prospects.

"more women than ever are becoming forklift truck drivers despite the traditional masculine image."

Clare Bottle, CEO, UK Warehousing Association.

The forklift industry

The forklift industry is vital in supplying materials handling equipment and services to the logistics sector. Jobs within it include those of:

Product designers and engineers
Software engineers
Product managers (with a key role in ensuring that forklift development meets customer needs)
Factory workers (including machine operators, welders, assemblers, quality control managers)
Business development managers (work includes setting up and supporting dealer networks)
Trainers
Marketing and sales staff (working for manufacturers, distributors or dealers – advising customers)
Forklift service technicians/engineers (truck maintenance and repairs)
Aftersales staff (including parts supply and other services)

Engineering opportunities and more

Anyone with an interest in engineering will find tremendous scope for careers in the forklift business, in logistics, and beyond. For further ideas and inspiration, have a look at the Caterpillar Inc. website.

Keep in touch

Visit the Generation Logistics website for further information. Follow the campaign on LinkedIn, Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram and TikTok

Summary

This article is about the exciting and rewarding careers on offer in the logistics, warehousing, materials handling and related industry sectors. It focuses on Generation Logistics – a unique initiative raising awareness of the underexposed and often misunderstood logistics world. It will be useful to you if you are:

An employer looking to inspire and encourage people to consider a career in your logistics-related business
OR an educator looking to expand the career prospects of children or students
OR a job seeker of any age looking for a fulfilling career direction

The article clarifies what logistics is, why it’s so vitally important, and how its diversity of activities creates opportunities for every type of employee. It summarises the Generation Logistics campaign and what it offers. There are highlighted sections on warehouse work, forklift driving and the forklift industry

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