A REDDITCH business is aiming to tackle the under-representation of women in the logistics and supply chain sectors.
With its goal to have a workforce which broadly reflects labour availability Oakland International has rolled out several schemes with the sole aim of cutting through the many real barriers women face.
Operating flexible shift patterns, trialling workplace childcare facilities, and offering the same pay rates irrespective of gender for both part-time and full-time workers are all aimed to enhance gender diversity.
Oakland International transport manager Lynne Pearson, who joined the company three years ago, said: “I’ve always had an interest in transport and joined to assist with their administration and drivers’ shifts.
“As my transport knowledge increased, and despite every day bringing new challenges, I wanted more and approached Oakland to undertake the CPC (Certificate in Professional Competence) transport qualification.
“They were very supportive and even put me through the required training and qualification, which I successfully completed in November 2022, and when the opportunity arose, I applied, and in September I was appointed transport manager.”
Women only represent around seven per cent of the logistics sector workforce which employs over 2million people and generated £139billion in 2019 and, although female HGV driver numbers are increasing, they still only account for 0.7 per cent of the UK’s qualified HGV drivers.
Lynne, together with fellow female colleagues, attended the launch event of Women in Cold Chain (WiCC) in September, where Oakland International’s co-founder and group CEO Dean Attwell was one of the speakers.
The WiCC scheme aims to encourage female school leavers, university graduates, and women from other industry sectors to consider a career in the temperature-controlled storage and distribution industry, which traditionally is male dominated.
Lynne added: “WiCC was fantastic, and I left feeling empowered by the speakers and women I met.
“It was a wonderful opportunity to meet other women, and who knows, I may be able to encourage others into our industry.”
