Of course, as nobody needs reminding, there is a skills shortage in the logistics sector. This has been the case for far too long and, when it comes to finding solutions to the problem, much of the focus has been on educating schools and careers advisers about the changing nature of the industry and promoting the attractiveness of logistics as a career path.
Yet there is a large pool of existing talent that is mostly ignored or overlooked. Disabled people.
Disabled people are 30 per cent less likely to be in paid work than non-disabled people. This is not because they don’t want to work, or don’t have relevant skills – far from it. It’s mainly down to the number of barriers they face in finding work – not the least of which is the perception among too many employers that “disabled’ means “incapable”.
According to research published recently by disability charity, Scope, disabled people are being “shut out of the jobs market” in huge numbers due to the attitudes and discrimination they can face throughout the recruitment process.
These findings are echoed by latest Government figures, which show that there are one million disabled people in the UK who want to and are able to work but are currently not employed.
In its survey of 2,000 disabled people Scope found that more than a third (37%) of disabled people believe employers won’t hire them because of their impairment or condition.
The survey shows that, because they feel their disability makes them a less attractive candidate than non-disabled applicants, unemployed disabled people have lost faith with the recruitment process.
Vidu Recruitment is partnering with Evenbreak, a social enterprise formed to help inclusive employers attract more talented disabled people, to address this wholly unsatisfactory situation and encourage more disabled people to enter the logistics industry.
The Vidu online video-based recruitment platform is the perfect way for anyone to demonstrate their skills and capabilities to a potential employer and this is a message that, with Evenbreak’s support, we are getting out to the disabled community.
In simple terms, Vidu’s modern digital approach to recruiting and finding roles, delivers an opportunity for candidates to promote their professional and personal attributes and allows employers to meet the person behind the CV before beginning the interview process.
It allows candidates to present a first impression in a controlled and measured way, giving a potential employer a ‘virtual interview’—and in this way eliminates preconceptions or misgivings about an individual’s disability.
The platform is free to use for all candidates seeking employment and easy-to-follow instructions guide users through the content creation process.
Vidu and Evenbreak are determined to educate employers in the logistics industry about the benefits of attracting more talented disabled people to their teams and, in addition, we encouraging disabled jobseekers to make use of Vidu’s modern approach to recruitment to find employers who will value their skills.
If you’re an employer in the logistics sector who thinks disabled people have nothing to offer your company, you couldn’t be more wrong – as a glance at www.vidurecruitment.co.uk or Evenbreak’s specialist job board – www.evenbreak.co.uk – will show.
