Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to work with the logistics sector to improve employment outcomes for prison leavers.

Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

DWP works with employers across the logistics sector to help prison leavers into work. Logistics is a sector where there is a high potential for prison leavers to fill skills shortages across the economy and to drive good growth in every postcode.

DWP works closely with HM Prison and Probation Service’s New Futures Network (NFN), the prison service’s specialist employment team, which brokers employment opportunities for prison leavers. This includes strategic partnerships with major employers in skills shortage sectors including logistics with employers such as GXO and Morrisons.

Ministry of Justice figures show that employment outcomes for prison leavers continue to improve, with 36.5% of prison leavers in employment six months after release in the year to March 2026, compared with 34.5% in the previous year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to promote careers in the logistics sector in (a) schools and (b) further education colleges.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government wants every young person to understand their career opportunities. Statutory careers guidance expects schools and further education colleges to draw on labour market information and provide employer encounters and workplace experiences, supporting informed choices.

Careers hubs connect schools and colleges with employers and sector bodies. All 11 secondary schools in South Ribble are part of the Lancashire Careers Hub. Penwortham Priory Academy has worked with Leyland Trucks, helping pupils on an engineering pathway understand careers in the sector. Penwortham Girls’ High School has undertaken modern work experience with Eddie Stobart.

Learning from the Logistics Beacon, developed by Leicester and Leicestershire Careers Hub and Generation Logistics, is available to other areas nationally through curriculum related resources for key stages 3 to 5. The model demonstrates how careers hubs can work with employers to respond to local priority sectors.

Together, this activity supports progression into technical education, apprenticeships and skilled employment.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to work with the logistics sector to help reduce the number of young people not in education, employment or training.

Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

With around one million young people not in education, employment and training, this Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion by 2029 into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy.

This investment will create up to 500,000 opportunities for young people, including around 300,000 opportunities to gain workplace experience and training, and up to 200,000 employment opportunities through a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who recruit 18 to 24-year-olds who have been claiming Universal Credit for more than six months. It will also introduce a £2,000 apprenticeship hiring payment for non-levy employers taking on 16 to 24-year-old apprentices, alongside the Jobs Guarantee scheme, which will provide 18 to 24-year-olds who have been unemployed long-term with a fully funded six-month job.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) works closely with employers across the logistics sector to help create employment opportunities for young people, including those who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). Through its Strategic Relationship Team (SRT) and Jobcentre Plus networks, it supports employer-led recruitment and training initiatives that provide vocational skills linked directly to genuine vacancies and sustainable employment outcomes.

DWP continues to work with Road to Logistics and has promoted its Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) and warehousing programmes nationally to raise awareness of opportunities with logistics employers. These programmes are designed around employer demand and combine training with clear routes into employment, helping participants gain the skills needed to move into available jobs. DWP is also exploring opportunities to expand HGV training provision in additional areas across Great Britain.

In addition, the Department is working with logistics employer Biffa to explore the development of a new HGV Academy in the South Midlands. Discussions are focussing on how to specifically target NEET cohorts into logistics careers, using the Youth Jobs Grant and Jobs Guarantee to support participants into long-term employment opportunities. This has the potential to create a sustainable pipeline of talent for the logistics sector while supporting young people furthest from the labour market into quality jobs with clear progression routes.

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