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HR Grapevine
Mark Simmons
Senior Vice President of HR, GXO
Mark Simmons, Senior Vice President of HR at GXO Logistics speaks to HR Grapevine to share what he has learned while his company has become an employer of choice for the logistics industry...
Mark Simmons
Senior Vice President of HR, GXO
Mark Simmons, Senior Vice President of HR at GXO Logistics speaks to HR Grapevine to share what he has learned while his company has become an employer of choice for the logistics industry...
People who work in logistics know first-hand that it is perhaps one of the most misunderstood industries.
Upon hearing the word, one’s mind usually jumps to a worker moving boxes in a warehouse or to an analyst processing a never-ending stream of spreadsheets and datasets.
While these jobs are a critical part of any logistics business, the industry in fact has a deep, rich variety of roles that require quality talent. Eager to drive awareness and education of the career opportunities available within its industry, GXO Logistics has championed a variety of campaigns aimed at locating, recruiting, and retaining early careers logistics talent, including sponsoring the government-backed Generation Logistics.
Mark Simmons, Senior Vice President of HR at GXO has overseen this push for talent acquisition and retention and speaks to HR Grapevine to share what he has learned while his company has become an employer of choice for the logistics industry.
Why is education and awareness so important to early career hiring at GXO?
There’s recognition from a GXO perspective, and from the wider sector with low awareness and knowledge base of what logistics is in the first place. What is logistics, and more importantly, what are the different roles, careers, and job opportunities that sit under the bonnet of logistics and supply chain?
The general understanding is limited, so it’s important that we help improve and increase people's awareness, particularly for those trying to make informed decisions about education or the other different routes to grow into their careers. We’ve been delighted to be a Gold Sponsor of Generation Logistics since the launch of the initiative in 2022, and play a very active part in steering the group’s activity including how we draw down government funds and how we help improve the sector’s position in the UK job market.
Can you share more about how you created partnerships with schools and universities?
Over the last four years, we’ve built a framework and network of HR individuals, local operational employees, and engagement ambassadors who directly work with local schools and educational institutions. My team coordinates that activity across the business. I’ve mentioned the sponsorship of Generation Logistics, and we’ve also got a degree-level apprenticeship program.
Over the last four years, we’ve built a framework and network of HR individuals, local operational employees, and engagement ambassadors who directly work with local schools and educational institutions
Mark Simmons | Senior Vice President of HR at GXO
For example, we partner with Sheffield Hallam University, with 100 individuals today in the business that are currently on that program. Of that 100, 40 to 50 are due to complete and graduate in the next 18 months. We’ve got a superb apprenticeship offering in the UK business today, with over 1,500 apprentices from GCSE equivalent up to degree-level and Masters top-ups for individuals. We’re the only logistics business in the top 100 apprenticeship employers in the UK at number 34, where we were recognised for the third year in a row.
Why is it important to target those individuals who are just beginning their careers?
There’s a real opportunity to help individuals and their parents get used to the idea of them leaving (traditional) education. We’ve got different options to grow your career across all functions, whether that’s in HR, operations, finance, sales, marketing, or even areas like data, AI, robotics, and operations which are increasingly key components at GXO.
It’s a rich program that we’re always looking to develop and refine year after year, but it’s great to give people an informed decision on what’s right for them at that point in time and create a pipeline of talent wanting to join our business.
