Heads of industry, multi-modal, road, rail air and sea, TfL boss Mike Brown and Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye were also on site for a heads of logistics masterclass that focused on the next-generation workforce, its education and steps of opportunity into the exploding sector of logistics.

IOC Tracey Worth, Simon Baker CitySprint, TfL boss Mike Brown, final-mile driver, Abdullahi Rashid

Heathrow boss,  John Holland-Kaye, college gov, Simon Wilcox, West Thames principal Tracey Aust and IOC chair Carl Lomas

West Thames College welcomed logistics business leaders alongside schools to the opening of the new Skills and Logistics Centre at Feltham today.  The £3m project took almost one year to complete and includes a new 225m squared logistics training centre where the College will provide a step into all levels of logistics, courses in logistics operations, warehouse management and goods vehicle driving.

IOC chair Carl Lomas, commented,

Today the logistics sector provides not just a job, but a career path through the new BIS Trailblazers apprenticeships. This is a sector where you can expect jobs for life, everything depends on logistics and the explosion of e-retail from bricks and mortar retail to home delivery is here for our generation.

Seema Malhotra, shadow treasury minister,

A legacy to local employment and an aspiration for West Thames.

Tracy Aust, new principal of West Thames College explains,

We are very excited about the opening of the new Logistics Centre.  It demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that our courses reflect the changing needs of employers and provide the right training for young people to secure jobs in our area.

Mike brown, TfL boss, took a full site tour from warehouse to road. Apprenticeship is key to future workforce. Mike was showcased the latest Renault electric light van focused on final-mile delivery between Heathrow and London. Simon Baker outlined the eco-friendly light van and its central role in city traffic with clean air.

Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye,

This is a very impressive site for education, I want to see students from here in jobs at Heathrow. I want to see future skills and opportunities in your hands to take my job in the years to come.

West Thames College is working closely with express and logistics businesses to ensure that local residents are equipped with the skills they need to secure rewarding logistics jobs in the hot-spot of the Heathrow area.  A key feature of the college’s approach is that students are required to work with the same processes used in industry.  The college will run a live online ordering system, managed by the logistics students, who will run the trade counter, manage stock control and replenishment - in other words the Logistics Centre will provide the logistics for the College.

If you would like to know more about the high quality vocational training available at the College, see the website www.west-thames.ac.uk or call their Information Centre on 020 8326 2020.