Foodservice supplier Sysco GB has called on the government to take greater action to address the employment challenges facing the wholesale sector.
Launching its paper, A Skills Strategy for the Wholesale Sector, Sysco said the key to solving the issues facing the sector included removing barriers to engaging new talent by allowing levy funding to support onboarding, work-readiness initiatives, and the wider costs associated with bringing new entrants into the workforce.
The report also highlights the need to empower businesses to tackle critical skills gaps by enabling levy funding and short courses to support business-led training programmes, such as its own ‘Changing Gears’ HGV driver programme.
The company is also lobbying for action to futureproof the workforce and drive long-term growth by unlocking funding for modular upskilling digital and AI-focused training, and specialist and leadership development.
“The wholesale sector is facing unprecedented challenges,” said Sysco GB HR director Katrina Simpson-Haines. “We play a vital role in supporting communities across the country, but the skills crisis means that it is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit and train the next generation of workers.
“Our paper provides some very practical solutions that can be easily adopted to pave the way for a profitable future for the sector and those working within it.”
She added that the changes Sysco was proposing would help “boost productivity, strengthen social mobility, and build a more resilient workforce across the wholesale and foodservice sectors”.
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