Top tips for women considering a career in transport
As we approach International Women’s Day (8th March), The NX Group, who offers warehousing, logistics and e-commerce solutions, is keen to encourage more women to consider careers in the logistics and transport industry. From recent school-leavers or university graduates to those who are contemplating a career change, the transport sector offers a broad range of roles and progression opportunities for males and females alike.
The road transport and logistics industry is one of the most vital industries in the UK with over 1 million employees. However, according to research only 20% of the sector workforce is female and women make up on 1-3% of HGV drivers, which is one of the largest gender imbalances in UK business.
The NX Group bucks the trend with almost a third of its employees being female. The company is also committed to raising the profile of the industry for women, with a view to attracting prospective employees who may previously not have considered logistics or transport as a potential career path.
Emilia Szubartowska, Key Accounts Executive at The NX Group, says: “Women are an untapped talent that the industry could benefit from. Girls are often discouraged from or put off going into careers that are perceived to be male orientated, and as such we want to show that transport and logistics is great industry with many career opportunities.”
TOP TIPS
Here some of the female members of team at NX give their top three tips for other women looking to get into the industry:
Explore all available options
Take time to look into the many roles and routes the industry has to offer – from driving to data management – and see which one appeals to you the most.
Emilia Szubartowska, Key Accounts Executive, says: “I always like to be busy and so joining the fast-paced transport office at NX was ideal for me. Everyday is different which encourages me to continually learn and improve in order to find solutions.”
Alison Nix, who joined the company as HR administrator almost 18 months ago, adds: “Since joining NX I’ve grown more aware of how diverse the industry is in terms of gender. I came from an estate agent background and had not previously considered a career in the logistics industry. However, I have since seen the variety of roles on offer and of course many of the skills I had were transferable to the logistics industry.”
Monika Zawadzka, who has worked at the company for over three years as Warehouse Administrator, says: “It’s varied work and it’s also extremely rewarding. My role relies on teamwork and I thrive on being part of a great team that we have built in our department which ensures we all work effectively together.”
Be yourself – the right person for the job
The logistics and transport sector offers a great many opportunities for staff with the right skill set to thrive, climb the career ladder and realise their ambitions from the ground up.
“I have built a good rapport with the drivers, who are mostly men, and I feel they respond well to my calm manner. The transport industry benefits from having a mixture of men and women as both bring slightly different perspectives on things” Emilia explains.
Both Alison and Monika agree that patience, multi-tasking, prioritising and learning to find prompt solutions to all problems are skills that are integral to their respective roles. Transferable skills such as these, if acquired in a different career, can prove invaluable in this sector.
Just do it!
If in doubt, talking to people in the industry – both men and women – should answer any questions you’ve got about the sector and help you to take the plunge.
“If you feel that you have a strong personality, are patient, assertive and can wear many hats and change them quickly, go for it,” Monika concludes.
“Don’t be put off by stereotypes,” Emilia urges. “Times are changing and it is becoming increasingly acknowledged that warehousing and logistics workplaces are in fact gender-neutral, and that men and women can do the same jobs, whilst bringing different skills and abilities to the roles.”
Some useful resources for women looking to find out more or get into the industry are:
At The NX Group we specialise in providing a bespoke distribution service of tracked, secure and timed deliveries throughout the UK. Delivered precisely and with the utmost care, our team take pride in everything we deliver on our customers behalf.
For more information about our company, you can also follow us on LinkedIn and on Twitter via @thenxgroup.
Contact Us
If you would like to find out more about the services The NX Group offer, please email us on sales@thenxgroup.com or give the team a call on 01604 217855.
