Our member companies support us with their expertise, as well as funding, by allowing employees with specialist skills to volunteer in our programmes.
This means that our projects can benefit from a wealth of first class technical expertise. And those who volunteer find they gain just as much as they give as the experience enhances their own skills and competencies, particularly in leadership, flexibility and cultural understanding.
Although their placements are, on average, just two weeks long, their input is always part of a longer programme of work with a project partner and the focus is on skills-sharing. For example, volunteers don't just train drivers, they train driver trainers. This ensures that the work they do is sustainable and carries on when they leave.
We hope it will inspire you to think that ordinary people working in the UK transport & logistics industry are committed to using their skills to make a difference and you can read some of their stories below.
Professional volunteer diary blogs
Clare Bottle, Logistics Specialist, in Zambia, April 2008: Clare Bottle, freelance carried out a voluntary Transaid project with the Zambian Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport. Her task was to assess the strategic planning and operations of CILT Zambia with a view to improving the organisation's effectiveness.
CEVA Logistics in Ghana, March 2008: Shaun Dempsey, operations training coordinator, went out to Ghana for two weeks to work with other professional volunteers to help implement the Female Market Traders Project in Accra, Ghana.
Wincanton in Mozambique, September 2007: Ed O’Connor spends 10 weeks in Tete Province to conduct a fleet assessment of the Ministry of Health.
Royal Mail in Kenya, August 2006: Vehicle Services Managers Mike Kington and Mick Whelan assess maintenance provision for health service vehicles and make recommendations on improvements.
Bibby Distribution in Kenya, July 2006: Driver Development Manager Brian Riddle and Regional Driver Trainer Dave Smith train ambulance drivers in the Kenyan health service to become driver assessors, in order to improve the efficiency and safety of the system.
MAN ERF and S & B Training in Nigeria, June 2006: Declan Donnelly, Pete Vill and Paul Sadler travel to Nigeria to build 3rd year MAN ERF apprentice Declan's design for a motorcycle ambulance trailer with local engineers and train the riders.
Pall-Ex in Ghana, April 2006: Pall-Ex MD Hilary Devey visits Ghana to examine the transport problems faced by women, health workers and commercial operators.
Christian Salvesen in Malawi, July 2005: Paul Dorling spends 3 weeks in Malawi developing driver qualifications and training for transport operators in Malawi and Zambia.
