Express Manager Degree Apprenticeship Trailblazer workshop for Express employers sits at Heathrow.

Latest version of standard updated from January one-to-one employer meetings and the Heathrow employer workshop.

Help review the standard before submission on Feb 23

There have been a number of operational one-to-one meetings with employers and workshops north and south leading to the present draft standard, it's not too late to have your say and your input is very welcome to the group. V2 Standard here.

Express Trailblazer chair Justin Moore was at the Heathrow table to talk level six degree apprenticeships for the final mile, home delivery managers of the future.

This is about delivery, express delivery, final mile, delivering to customer chain in an evolving market of client requirements from e-retail.

IOC chair and Express employer group secretary Carl Lomas,

Express manager is not about storage, warehouse or supply purchase, this is about fulfilling final mile transport demand to customer for an evolving, new and exploding sector of logistics.

Hosting the workshop, Tracy Aust, Principal West Thames College comments

These trailblazers provide a fantastic opportunity to really meet the needs of one of the fastest growing sectors. From provision at level 2 through to provision at level 6, they offer a career path for those just entering the sector as well as providing opportunities and career progression for those employees that we already have working within the sector. The on-the-job training, provides the perfect mix to earn as you learn!

Dept for Education gave the green light for a degree apprenticeship for Express managers as part of the Trailblazer apprenticeships Sept 16th 2016.

IOC chair, Carl Lomas comments,

This will deliver a funded route, for levy and non-levy paying employers, lasting around five years, targeting next-generation entrants and existing team members aspiring to management in the express sector. The five year course will begin with management cpc or FORS practitioner and roll into a part-time degree study with a range of Universities including Derby, MMU, and West London.

Expected to start Sept 2017, a candidate will begin a job role in our sector, have no university fees to pay and be able to attain their degree within five years. There will be strong content on customer, final mile success, returns and sortation hubs. LoCity, air quality and delivery practices will be embedded into the learning.

Trailblazer standard in Express Delivery Management at degree apprenticeship level submitted to BIS by Justin Moore and the Institute of Couriers.

A degree apprenticeship for managers in the evolving e-retail final mile has been submitted to BIS (July 28), polishing touches were added to the BIS submission at the recent Heads of Industry meeting of the Institute of Couriers, (July 13), aligned with the Universities of Derby and West London to cover the hot spots of the exploding sector numbers in final mile. The degree level goes alongside the existing level two for express delivery and provides a strong platform for employers approaching levy in April 2017.

Standing room only at Heathrow as BIS talked trailblazers, there was hydrogen power in the car park for an IOC heads of Industry briefing that followed a proven track record of fifteen minute slots across a varied agenda. Glen Davies TfL,  LoCity was first keynote address, ‘ 59% of white vans are in private registration!’ watching the thunderstorm cell, Heathrow Emma Gilthorpe talked air, focused on freight, 1.5 million tonnes a year through Heathrow projected to 3 million tonnes by 2030. FORS BIS & Hydrogen followed, Inpost talked collect, Nicholas Dunhill Parcel Space had collaboration at heart, Alex Farkas DWP was on hand as national logistics, Andrew Hartley, System training de-mystified levy for employers. Sarah Bell University of Derby had level 6 degrees in preparation. It was logistics employers parked wall to wall, City sprint, TNT, UK Mail FedEx and more in a briefing focused express speed.

Viscount, Lord Falkland IOC president,  ‘A legacy change for the express courier sector’

With exploding delivery numbers in the express delivery, shift from high street retail to home delivery expected to be half of all retail value by 2020, light van registrations up 18% in a single year and three Q4 million foot sortation sheds in middle England 2015. The next challenge is a workforce with skills to deliver the booming numbers in an evolving platform. Minister Nick Boles has delivered news set to provide a legacy, a step change in the sector, a trailblazer apprenticeship for express delivered before the end of the year, ready for levy.

With exploding delivery numbers in the express delivery, shift from high street retail to home delivery expected to be half of all retail value by 2020, light van registrations up 18% in a single year and three Q4 million foot sortation sheds in middle England 2015. The next challenge is a workforce with skills to deliver the booming numbers in an evolving platform. Minister Nick Boles has delivered news set to provide a legacy, a step change in the sector, a trailblazer apprenticeship for express delivered before the end of the year, ready for levy.

Proposal to develop apprenticeship standard degree apprenticeship logistics manager went into  BIS March 29 by IOC in collaboration with University of Derby and a strong employer group that first met over two years ago.

A strong employer group with a track record at level 2 and submissions of a career path to level four all in development; foundation degrees were first discussed by the group more than 18 months ago.

IOC has acted as secretary to  the express delivery group chaired by Justin Moore, CitySprint. IOC have ready completed work to develop the Level 2 standard for express delivery drivers/couriers & provided an expression of interest to develop levels 3 & 4 in express logistics.

Justin Moore,

I have written to BIS seeking approval for the development of a level 6 standard for such a degree apprenticeship.  I have asked Carl Lomas CBE, IOC to continue to provide secretariat services to the group and lead this work.

BIS Apprenticeship Trailblazer focus for Express Delivery courier in the Oxford Newbury area.

Talking shop with IOC Chair Carl Lomas about BIS recognition for Express Delivery courier apprentice trailblazer, Adrian Smith of Swift Couriers (Oxford &  Newbury) explained: ‘Elite couriers, this is where we need to be.’

Adrian Smith, IOC Fellow and owner of Swift - a strong company-owned van fleet, operating PAYE drivers and providing quality service to the West London corridor around the postcodes of Newbury and Oxford with focus on medical services clients. ‘Every driver goes through a detailed induction, 6 months attendance, 6 months specialisation to make the step to one of our elite couriers.’

Adrian is one of the heads of Industry Fellows joining the IOC panel discussions Feb 26th in the City of London with TfL boss Mike Brown. The invitation-only event is before the Fellows' gowning on the same evening at the House of Lords. Call Tracey Worth for details of a diary must-do (07976 263745)

Friday 29th January,  BIS confirming approval of the Express Delivery Driver standard, subject to some final amendments.

Gerry Swift, Standards Development Team. BIS/DfE Apprenticeships Unit

Congratulations on having the standard approved and many thanks to you and the rest of the group for all your hard work on this.’

IOC Chairman Carl Lomas comments

This is a great step for our future workforce in express delivery and courier, Justin Moore City Sprint chaired the employer group meetings, outstanding contributions from so many employers, nationals, networks and local SMEs. The standard that will set the future qualification for our sector. It’s a big thank-you all round for everyone who has made this possible. Broad input came in from the LEP teams D2N2, LLEP, SEMLEP, NLEP and more with education advice and support from Universities including Derby, SHU and LMU. This will be a vocational qualification for our front-line teams delivering at the client face.

First emails following the Friday afternoon news...

Patrick Gallagher, CitySprint, ‘Great news, congratulations.’ Alastair Brooks Manchester college, ‘Fantastic news, congratulations.’ Sarah Maddox, UK Mail. ‘Great news.’ Sharon Davies, DHL, ‘Well done.’ Elaine Harris, Action Express, ‘Fantastic’. Marjorie Semple, principle West Thames college Heathrow, ‘Fantastic news – well done for getting that through.’  Stephen Ram Kissun, AELP. ‘Well done looks very promising to seal of approval from BIS.’ Andrew Lowery TNT, ‘Brilliant  - not every Friday you get a green light like this.’  Patrick Henry, Grimsby ac ‘That's good news well done’. Pierre de Carteret, ‘Congratulations, that is excellent news!’.  Stewart Segal AELP ‘Congratulations.  I am sure it will prove very beneficial for the sector.'

More as they come in...

Jill Godard, Findafuture, ‘Excellent news - well done to you and your team and your industry colleagues. A great start to 2016!’  Professor Rod Dubrow-Marshall Univ Derby, ‘This is really great news’.

Steve May NCDA, Sameday Company, ‘Excellent News, Congratulations, everyone should be applauded for the hard work.’ Lisa Smailes Pearson-Edexcel, ‘That's great news that the standard has now been approved, congratulations!’ Professor Liz Barnes, Deputy VC, Sheffield Hallam Unv, ‘Great news! Well done.’

Deputy Director of the joint DfE/BIS Apprenticeships Unit Jennifer Coupland opened: introduction of the new institute for apprenticeships before key focus - ‘end point assessments’ measuring the assessments, quality and comparability both internally and externally. Event closed with an outline from Mark Froud FSSS (fed for sector skills standards) ‘certificate production by FSSS will be mandatory for all trailblazers’