Two persistent issues face HR professionals across the globe: how can we create an engaged and motivated workforce, and ensure we attract and retain the best talent? These are perennial issues, and ones that organisations such as DP World feel especially keenly as a global company in the little-understood sector of trade and logistics.
Our research has found that less than a third of parents of eight- to 14-year-olds in the Middle East and North Africa know what trade and logistics means. This creates a dual dilemma for us. If the people our potential recruits are most likely to turn to about their career don’t even know about our industry, how can we secure our talent pipeline? Not only that, but we risk not having the skills we need to continue to grow.
Better understanding of potential careers is vital for our industry. The sector is changing due to new technology and the skills needed by employees are undergoing huge developments. If businesses want to tackle this looming crisis they have to play their part in increasing knowledge and skills of and for the sector. That’s why DP World has launched a global education programme for eight- to 14-year-olds across our entire network. It’s an ambitious programme and we’re aiming to engage 34,000 children by 2020.
The only way we will be able to achieve this is by mobilising our 37,000-strong workforce. We want to empower them to go into their local schools and engage young people in ports, trade and logistics. That means translating our modules into several languages including French, Arabic and Spanish.
While that helps to tackle the issue of recruitment and retaining of talent and skills, it also allows us to increase employee engagement. We’ve seen the impact this programme could have globally on our workforce through our pilot in the UAE, India, Pakistan, Senegal, the UK, Argentina and the Philippines.
After taking part, employees found not only did they gain satisfaction from working to inspire young people about their futures, but also learnt about the positive impact day-to-day work has on local communities and the importance of our ports. The results of our internal survey spoke for themselves: 85% of respondents agreed their self-confidence and job satisfaction were improved by the experience of taking part in the programme. Every single employee who took part agreed their commitment to DP World was improved and 77% were more motivated in their everyday jobs as a result of the experience
As we look to continue to expand the programme across the 40 countries we operate in, we are working hard to ensure all our employees have the opportunity to get involved. To do this we have created Sustainability Champions in each region to galvanise and co-ordinate the programme in local schools.
Initiatives like our global education programme will continue to play a major role in both securing the talent pipeline and engaging our local communities and employees about the benefits of our work. We aim to give young people an insight into the possibilities for a fulfilling and successful career in trade and logistics, while also giving them key skills the industry will be looking for in entry-level recruits both now and into the future.
Robin Windley is senior vice president of human capital at DP World
