- A new roundtable hosted by Generation Logistics, Logistics UK and the Learning and Work Institute highlighted the urgent need for widespread upskilling and reskilling across the UK logistics sector, which employs more than 2.5 million people and is undergoing rapid transformation driven by automation, digitization and the move to net zero.
- Experts agreed that artificial intelligence will reshape logistics careers but will not replace jobs, but rather create opportunities to develop the workforce as new roles emerge. Participants stressed that cultural change, employer-led training and accessible learning pathways are essential if companies are to maximize 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-form or modular learning. International evidence shows that successful programs are co-designed with employers, accessible and aligned with real operational needs.
The logistics sector employs more than 2.5 million people across the UK, and continues to face severe skills shortages, coupled with rapid change driven by automation, digitization and the drive towards net zero. Artificial intelligence (AI) will have an important role to play in logistics careers in the future and poses no threat to jobs, but cultural change is just as important as technological change if logistics companies want to maximize opportunities. This is what experts said during a roundtable discussion on upskilling and reskilling in logistics organized by Generation Logistics, an industry awareness program run by business group Logistics UK, and the Learning and Work Institute.
Participating during Get the Nation Learning Week (3-7 November 2025), the discussion brought together industry leaders, training providers and policy makers to explore the industry’s current and future skills needs, as well as discuss barriers to workforce development, innovative training models for modern operations and policy recommendations to enable sustainable and scalable learning across the sector.
“The logistics sector focuses too much on attracting people into the industry, but not enough on how to retain them and help them progress through continuous upskilling and reskilling,” said Bethany Windsor, Generation Logistics Program Director and Head of Skills Policy at Logistics UK, who chaired the discussion. “This is 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 participants explained how the technology is already widely used and helps improve efficiency by automating many tasks.
“During the discussions, it became clear that while AI will change the jobs people do, it will not necessarily replace them,” Windsor continued. “Many of today’s jobs did not exist a few years ago, and AI represents a great opportunity to improve skills as technology becomes more important for logistics operators.
“The barriers to upskilling are well known: cost and time pressures caused by staff redundancies for training, fragmentation of services for SMEs, and a financing system that is not always easy to access and is not flexible for short-term or standardized upskilling.
“We know from international evidence, including recent ones Institute of Learning and Work According to a report funded by the Nuffield Foundation, success comes when training is employer-led, co-designed and accessible.
“For logistics, this means building sector partnerships, expanding modular and on-the-job learning, and making finance simpler and more flexible, so companies can respond quickly to change.
“If the sector can get this right, we will not only solve the current shortage, but we will also build a workforce ready for data-driven, low-carbon digital logistics, ensuring the UK remains a world leader in efficient and innovative supply chains.”
Logistics UK is one of the UK’s largest business groups, representing logistics companies that are vital to maintaining UK trade, with more than seven million people directly employed in the manufacture, sale and transport of goods. With decarbonisation, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and across the supply chain, logistics has never been more important for the UK public company.
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