Transport and Distribution

“……… the story of how aviation became practical as a means of transportation……. the story of how the world became small”. (William Langewiesche, American travel writer and former pilot)

Transport and distribution companies are essential to trade and travel in any country. Planes, buses, trains, trucks, cars and ships - services run 24 hours a day to move passengers and goods around the country and beyond.

This industry is known as the 'logistics' industry - it manages the flow of goods and other resources, including mail and people, from one place to another.

• General distribution handles goods in store before they are sent out, while they are being moved and after they arrive.


• Air transport includes jobs in the air but also on the ground.


• Train companies run passenger and goods services all over the UK and through the channel tunnel to Europe.


• Road transport carries passengers and goods.


• Sea transport includes ferries, cruise liners and merchant navy vessels.

The logistics industry employs 115,000 people across 12,400 companies in Scotland, 5% of the Scottish workforce. The current financial climate, variable fuel costs and the decline in consumer spending make it difficult to predict future trends in employment levels in the industry.

The industry includes freight and air transport, cargo-handling, storage and warehousing, national post and courier services, and other transport activities. The Scottish workforce is largely male, (75%), though this is predicted to fall to 72% by 2017. The proportion of part time workers is 13% (25% is the national average). Although the number of workers in the sector is forecast to fall in the years up to 2017, there is likely to be a 20% increase in demand for managers and people in senior positions, and a 17% increase in sales and customer service activities.

In Scotland, passenger transport employs around 56,000 people.

The bus and coach sector is the largest employer with 21,900 employees, followed by taxi/private hire at 18,300.

The air transport sector employs around 10,400 people in Scotland. However, air passenger travel fell slightly in the UK in 2008 and the global economic downturn is likely to have an increasing effect on the sector.

The rail industry in Scotland employs around 3,300 people. Passenger numbers and freight traffic remain steady. The road freight industry currently employs around 17,300 workers throughout the country. In the merchant navy there is continuing demand at officer and cadet levels.

Warehouse work is increasing as more people order goods by phone and through the internet, wholesale work accounting for over a third of the logistics workforce.

To work in transport and distribution you should be reliable and punctual - services must run to time! You also need to be responsible, methodical, well organised, able to remain calm in emergencies – and friendly and polite to passengers.

You can get into many jobs in this area without formal qualifications. There are opportunities through Modern Apprenticeships, Skillseekers and New Deal. You would normally study for Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) while at work.

There are qualifications available at various levels, including professional qualifications, some of which are essential for certain jobs. You can often take these after working your way up from a junior job.

The jobs are divided into 5 sectors:

• General distribution


• Air transport


• Rail transport


• Road transport


• Sea transport.

Sources

GoSkills (Sector Skills Council for passenger transport industries) (http://www.goskills.org/)

Skills for Logistics website (http://www.skillsforlogistics.org/)

Prospects (UK’s official graduate careers) website, Transport and Logistics overview (http://www.prospects.ac.uk/)

Logistics Sector Profile: Scotland (2010) - Skills for Logistics