Date Posted:
2 September 2025
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ROAD TO LOGISTICS
When it comes to creating a motivated and inclusive workforce, Freeport East is putting funding where it counts: building skills and opening doors in communities while helping employers fill crucial industry skill gaps.
Shortages of Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) drivers have been a nationwide challenge for several years. With the significance of the logistics sector to the Freeport East area, these shortages directly impact on our local economy, pushing up costs for hauliers, shippers and the wider public. Finding ways to support businesses to attract new applicants into these well-paid roles expands the available workforce whilst offering new opportunities for local communities and those that may otherwise struggle to find employment.
Road to Logistics CIC, having secured a grant from the first round of the Freeport East Skills Fund, has so far provided six individuals in the Felixstowe area not just with a newfound sense of purpose and direction, but the credentials to back it up. Supporting their journey from entry level to fully qualified Category C+E HGV drivers, Freeport East is facilitating well-paid, long-term opportunities as well as life-long skills and buildable careers in the logistics sector.
Breaking Down Barriers
Road to Logistics is a Not-For-Profit training provider with a clear focus – to help challenged individuals enter a once out-of-reach labour market, delivering the skills and support they need to succeed. The programme is aimed at helping people from all walks of life, targeting ex-offenders, veterans, the long-term unemployed, those with mental health conditions and parents returning to work. The most recent cohort funded by Freeport East contained three ex-offenders, two long-term unemployed individuals and one single parent experiencing homelessness. All were given not just free HGV training, but additional employability training designed to build confidence and empower as they begin down their new career path.
Not only is this great for the individuals concerned but it also delivers a range of wider economic benefits – by helping those individuals that Road to Logistics targets it helps deliver more cost-efficient logistics services, takes away the challenges associated with benefits and welfare, and increases taxable incomes. It provides positive benefits for the whole of society.
Jake’s Story
Before Road to Logistics, Jake had been out of work for six months after sustaining an injury at work. Struggling both financially and emotionally, Jake and his family were forced to move back to his parents’ home. Thanks to the funding provided by Freeport East and support from Road to Logistics, Jake now works at the Port of Felixstowe as a Shunter Driver. He has since moved into a new home with his family and now has a reliable source of income and an ideal work-life balance.
“Getting the opportunity to work has turned my life around. It really feels like a job for life and now that I have money coming in regularly, my life feels healthier and happier.”
Michael’s Story
Michael always wanted to become a lorry driver but Covid-19 derailed his plans, and he found himself going down a bad path. Serving his second prison sentence, Michael was determined not to become another reoffending statistic. When offered the opportunity to join the Road to Logistics programme, he saw his way out of the cycle. By committing to training while in prison, within weeks of his release he had secured employment and is now able to provide for his family and work towards building a strong and stable future.
“When I heard that I had been accepted onto the Road to Logistics and Freeport East programme I felt like I had a really good shot at getting out of the cycle and creating a new life for myself.
[This] course definitely opened up opportunities for me I would never otherwise have access to.
The course was brilliant. Really well run and well organised and I felt very supported. I got everything out of it I was expecting and more.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the course to anyone.”
A Win for People and Business
This isn’t simply a training course; it’s a direct pipeline for employers. Connecting motivated individuals with employers who are crying out for committed and hard-working talent. The roles secured through Road to Logistics are often a lifeline for people, providing an opportunity for them to turn their life around. Freeport East is proud to support projects like this, where funding has a tangible and life-long impact.
The Road Ahead
Road to Logistics has already trained over 520 people nationwide, with 89% now in logistic careers. With plans to establish a permanent base in Suffolk, the partnership with Freeport East has significant potential to grow, especially with drivers playing a key role in many of our regions critical industries. Striving to create more opportunities, careers, and success stories in local communities while providing a sustainable answer to industry talent shortages.
Get Involved
Road to Logistics is always looking for individuals to get involved with its programme. Are you an eager new driver ready to learn, or forward-thinking employer seeking new talent? Or are you interested in funding a high-impact employment scheme that delivers multiple economic benefits? Register your interest and get in-touch via the Road to Logistics website below.
