A Skills Policy Paper
for the
UK Warehousing Sector
February 2026
The warehousing sector is the backbone of the UK economy. Every product on every shelf, every parcel delivered to every doorstep, every component in every factory – all pass through a warehouse. Yet this essential sector faces a skills crisis that, if left unaddressed, will constrain productivity, hamper technological progress, and weaken UK supply chains.
Launched during National Apprenticeship Week 2026, our new policy paper shines a light on the skills challenges faced by our members and calls for urgent reform to the skills landscape via four practical and affordable policy recommendations.
The skills gap won’t wait. Neither should we.
Read the full Skills Policy Paper below.
The latest industry figures and analysis from UKWA’s 2025 Skills Survey of senior decision-makers across the sector paints an urgent picture.
The warehousing industry is paying into a skills system from which it barely benefits, and the consequences are already visible:
• Only 13% of employers report no difficulty recruiting staff
• Over half anticipate critical shortages in automation & robotics within 5 years
• Only 18% of employers say the apprenticeship system meets their current skills needs
• 60% of employers say they would benefit from more flexibility in the Apprenticeship Levy
• For every pound the sector pays into the Apprenticeship Levy, only 32 pence is recovered in funded training
All four recommendations are achievable within existing policy frameworks. They simply ask for warehousing to be given the same consideration as other strategically important sectors.
