Industry group seeks help to grow youth committee facing lack of interest
NatRoad’s attempt to engage the youth of the trucking industry is struggling, with its fledgling youth forum unable to attract members.
Established in 2013, the forum focuses on issues affecting the industry’s young people and is open to those under the age of 30 who are employees of a NatRoad member.
But NatRoad president Geoff Crouch has expressed disappointment about the lack of interest in the initiative.
“Two years ago the NatRoad council took the initiative to implement a youth committee so that our future leaders could start on this path,” he told attendees at this year’s NatRoad conference.
“I might be getting optimistic in my old age, but I reasonably thought we would have had 10, maybe 15 eager, young members of this committee. Unfortunately despite substantial promotion through the normal channels, we don’t — we only have three.”
Crouch used his address at the conference to urge companies to encourage young employees to step up and take part in the forum, which is currently working on a national driver training scheme to aid the recruitment and retention of truck drivers.
“I’m sure my disappointment with this is shared by everyone here, yet we are the ones that need to share responsibility. Surely in this room there are sufficient enough operators that can look at their team and identify some of the younger members of their company that have the ability to be future leaders of our industry,” Crouch says.
“The current committee is a tremendous bunch of people that have great promise but they can’t do it on their own. They need our help so that the platform is set for future generations.
“It is imperative upon all of us as temporary custodians of this industry to ensure we do whatever is possible to nurture, encourage, educate and counsel those who will follow in our footsteps.”
Photography: Brad Gardner