• A new roundtable hosted by Generation Logistics, Logistics UK and the Learning and Work Institute highlighted the urgent need for large-scale upskilling and reskilling across the UK logistics sector, which employs more than 2.5 million people and is undergoing rapid transformation driven by automation, digitalisation and the transition to net zero.
• Experts agreed that AI will reshape logistics careers but will not replace jobs, instead creating opportunities for workforce development as new roles emerge. Participants stressed that cultural change, employer-led training and accessible learning pathways are essential if businesses are to maximise the benefits of advanced technologies.
• Key barriers identified included the cost and time required to release staff for training, fragmented support for SMEs, and inflexible funding structures that do not accommodate short or modular learning. International evidence shows that successful programmes are co-designed with employers, easy to access and aligned with real operational needs.

Employing over 2.5 million people across the UK, the logistics sector continues to face acute skills shortages, alongside rapid change driven by automation, digitalisation and the drive to net zero. Artificial Intelligence (AI) will have a significant role to play in the logistics careers of the future and is not a threat to jobs, but cultural change is just as important as technological change if logistics businesses are to maximise the opportunities. So said experts during a round table discussion on Upskilling and Reskilling in Logistics organised by Generation Logistics, an industry awareness programme managed by business group Logistics UK, and the Learning and Work Institute.

Taking part during Get the Nation Learning Week (3–7 November 2025), the discussion brought together industry leaders, training providers and policymakers to explore the industry’s current and future skills needs, as well as debating barriers to workforce development, innovative training models for modern operations and policy recommendations to enable scalable, sustainable learning across the sector.

“The logistics sector puts a lot of focus on attracting people into the industry, but not nearly enough on how we retain and help them progress through ongoing upskilling and reskilling,” said Bethany Windsor, Programme Director for Generation Logistics and Head of Skills Policy at Logistics UK, who was chairing the discussion. “That’s where employers can make the biggest and most lasting difference, certainly in the short term.”

The use of AI in the sector was discussed, and the participants outlined how the technology is already widely used and is helping improve efficiency by automating many tasks.

“During discussions, it became clear that while AI will change the jobs people are doing, it will not necessarily replace them,” continued Windsor. “Many of today’s jobs simply did not exist a few years ago and AI presents a great opportunity for upskilling as the technology becomes more critical for logistics operators.

“Barriers to upskilling are well known: the cost and time pressures of releasing staff for training, fragmented provision for SMEs, and a funding system that is not always easy to access and that doesn’t flex for short or modular upskilling.

“We know from international evidence, including the recent Learning and Work Institute report funded by the Nuffield Foundation, that success comes when training is employer-led, co-designed and easy to access.

“For logistics, that means building sector partnerships, expanding modular and on-the-job learning, and making funding simpler and more flexible, so businesses can respond quickly to change.

“If the sector can get that right, we’ll not only solve today’s shortages, but also build a workforce ready for the digital, data-driven and low-carbon logistics of, ensuring the UK remains a global leader in efficient, innovative supply chains.”

Logistics UK is one of the UK’s biggest business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With decarbonisation, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc.