Express logistics brands joined forces at an October virtual table of the IOC education group, Express Trailblazer team, to review the revision documents for Express delivery operative level two apprenticeship. Published 2019, Starts across COVID were thin, but today the apprenticeship, Express delivery operative has over three thousand starts on the qualification for our front line teams achieving delivering at door.

DFE, the Inst for Apprentices asked for a revision to the standard to add a modern duty list to the existing standard. The Express education group is co-chaired by Louise O’Neil, Whistl and Trevor Hoyle, formerly FedEx SVP. The Oct meeting guests included national and regional commercial brands alongside SME operators and military logistics. Breadth of those at the meeting covered next day, same day, oversize, and food final mile.

Previous meetings had already confirmed the unit criteria of learning was sound, robust and remained current. More recently published apprenticeship in other sectors have a duty list; the duties of the job. There was a clear need to add a duty list to Express; the duty of the courier at door.

During a variety of recent workshops and voted at the IOC Sept heads of industry, the one clear message of employers in Express has been the duty to represent brand. This was again reinforced at the Oct education meeting. DFE IFA members present included Lisa Bowerbank and newly-appointed manager to express transport Andrew Scott.

The draft duty list is in version 5.6 and has evolved through six iterations from supporting edit comments from IFA and Proud. Acting as a draft, it has become the voice of the employer, but employers are logisticians. IFA are the expert educationalists, co-chair of the group, Trevor Hoyle has asked IFA to help edit wording of the employer draft duty language to match the Govt's terminology for the apprenticeship standard - particularly to help define the employer request for representing brand as a key duty in our sector. Employers at the meeting went further, ‘it's not just our brand, couriers must represent the brand they are delivering for.’

The list of duties looks sound, the edit is running through a working group and the next iteration is expected to be reported to the Heads of Industry after Peak at Jan 28th 2025 round table.

Existing candidates are not affected, the level two apprenticeship, Express delivery operative remains funded under levy, it remains free to candidates, and it remains set at a twelve month period to build knowledge skills and behaviour learning into our next generation front line. Brand is already in the unit learning under behaviour and ambassador vision for couriers at door, let's see it in the duty list.

Take a look at the V5.6 express delivery operative apprenticeship draft duties and KSB map here.