Why Upskilling Is Important In Warehouse Roles

Warehouse roles are often viewed as temporary jobs with a lack of progression opportunities, instead of a long-term career. This is actually far from the truth, with the median salary across the transport and logistics sector now being £31,075 (Pin Point Recruitment).

The Impact of Warehouse Roles

Warehouse roles support several supply chain stages through a range of functions, including:

• Inventory storage
• Stock management
• Order picking and packing
• Retail and e-commerce fulfilment

These tasks ensure businesses maintain product availability as well as controlling operational costs.

The Benefits Of Upskilling and Reskilling

There are a range of benefits for both individuals who upskill as well as the businesses that support their employees by offering opportunities to upskill and reskill.

For Employers

Aside from having more skilled employees, other benefits to employers who upskill their employees include:

• Enhanced employee engagement and satisfaction
• Increased productivity and efficiency

Employers can also train their employees at a reduced cost through a range of apprenticeships.

For Individuals

If your employer offers you the opportunity to upskill, why should you take it or even seek opportunities yourself? Well, opportunities for career progression and enhanced earning potential are the clearest benefits. The typical maximum salary for a Forklift Operator is £40.1k compared to the median industry salary for the UK of £31,075.

Courses

At 2 Start Training, we offer a range of courses, some of which take as little as a day to complete. For example we offer a range of forklift courses suitable for Novices, Experienced Operators, Refresher Training, as well as Conversion Training (suitable if the operator has already been trained, tested, and certified on a similar forklift). We offer training on the following types of forklift:

• Counterbalance Forklift
• Reach Forklift
• Pivot Steer Forklift
• Powered Pallet Truck
• Truck Mounted (Moffet) Forklift

Looking to become an instructor? We also offer Forklift Instructor training as well as Forklift Instructor Auditing to support businesses that deliver forklift training in-house.

Apprenticeships

A lesser-known way to upskill in a warehouse role is by completing an apprenticeship.

We offer a Supply Chain Warehouse Operative (Level 2) Apprenticeship which enables an apprentice to qualify to work safely in a warehouse or supply chain operation. For those looking to move into a management role, the Transport & Warehouse Operations Supervisor (Level 3) Apprenticeship is the ideal next step.

Employer Incentives

For SMEs, there are a range of government-funded incentives available for hiring apprentices under the age of 25, including:

• £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for eligible young people aged 18 to 24 who have been claiming Universal Credit for six months or more
• Young apprentice incentive of £1,000 for hiring apprentices aged 16-18

From October 2026, SMEs will also be able to claim a £2,000 incentive for each new apprentice under the age of 25. Each incentive is stackable meaning they can claim multiple incentives simultaneously. For an apprentice aged 18-24 who has been on Universal Credit for 6+ months and meets the relevant criteria, an SME could receive a total of £6,000.

As of August 2026, course costs will be completely removed for SMEs if the apprentice is under 25 too! For Growth and Skills Levy-paying employers there are no course costs to pay, while SMEs hiring apprentices over 25 pay 5% of course costs (typically between £250 and £400).

Interested In Upskilling?

If you’re looking for training for you or your team contact us on 02392 123 555, for more information.