Nicoletta Effah, a Graduate Operations Management Trainee for GXO, has embarked upon a six-month secondment as a Project Officer for international development organisation Transaid, supporting its longstanding road safety project in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka.
Her arrival marks 15 years since Transaid first partnered with the Industrial Training Centre (ITC) – the only public commercial driver training school in Zambia – to build capacity to deliver professional HGV and PSV driver training to internationally recognised standards.
A key part of Nicoletta’s decision to join GXO’s graduate scheme in January 2023 was down to the company’s corporate partnership with Transaid. Before being hired, she reached out to employees who had already completed secondments with Transaid, to learn more about their experiences.
Commenting on the opportunity in Zambia, Nicoletta says: “I know I can’t make a tangible change alone, so I wanted to join an organisation that could, and GXO’s graduate scheme has offered me this opportunity. I really hope that by the end of my time here in Zambia I will have made a positive contribution to Transaid’s work; I’m focused on ensuring that the changes I help to put in place can be maintained after I leave.”
Early priorities for Nicoletta have been creating a maintenance schedule to forward-plan servicing, avoiding clashes with when the assets are needed for practical training. This has become increasingly important given the current high utilisation of all training vehicles, due to exceptional driver demand.
Gavin Williams, Managing Director, UK and Ireland, GXO, and Transaid Trustee, adds: “The secondment programme is a great opportunity for Nicoletta to gain new skills and we look forward to seeing the positive impact she makes on the ground in Lusaka. Our graduate programme plays a vital role in developing our future leaders and we’re delighted to partner with Transaid and be able to offer such a fantastic experience.”
Neil Rettie, Transaid’s Road Safety Project Manager, explains: “The calibre of the graduates GXO places with us each year is a testament to the talent they attract as an organisation, and which we are so incredibly lucky to benefit from. It’s a perfect example of how our corporate membership programme benefits all parties – allowing us to bring additional resource onto key projects, whilst delivering the kind of management training experience which would be hard to match in the UK.”
The ITC is currently preparing to welcome two new trucks into service from the UK market, bringing much-needed additional training capacity. Nicoletta has been tasked with supporting their roll-out, and ensuring management can benefit from the added value of having telematics-equipped vehicles for the first time. To support her, she will undergo online telematics training with suppliers Microlise and Brigade Electronics.
Between April 2022 and March 2023 the ITC provided training for nearly 2,000 drivers, and drivers are currently booking two months ahead to secure a place on a training course.
For more information and to find out how you can support the organisation visit www.transaid.org.
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Note to Editor:
About Transaid
Transaid transforms lives through safe, available, and sustainable transport. Founded by Save the Children, The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), and its Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, the international development organisation works with communities, partners, and governments to solve transport challenges throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Transaid works in two core areas, road safety and access to health, to solve two of the biggest transport challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. Transaid’s road safety work focuses on influencing safe driver behaviour with long term programmes in Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, responding to local needs for improved training for drivers and riders of trucks, buses, motorcycles and forklift trucks. On the access to health side, Transaid is working with local partners and communities to strengthen access to health services, primarily in rural areas. They are also working to strengthen health supply chains in collaboration with local partners and governments.
Transaid enjoys strong backing from the transport and logistics industry and the active involvement of its patron, HRH The Princess Royal.
About GXO Logistics
GXO Logistics, Inc. (NYSE: GXO) is the world’s largest pure-play contract logistics provider and is benefiting from the rapid growth of ecommerce, automation and outsourcing. GXO is committed to providing a diverse, world-class workplace for more than 130,000 team members across more than 970 facilities totaling approximately 200 million square feet. The company partners with the world’s leading blue-chip companies to solve complex logistics challenges with technologically advanced supply chain and ecommerce solutions, at scale and with speed. GXO corporate headquarters is in Greenwich, Connecticut, USA. Visit GXO.com for more information and connect with GXO on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
For further press information:
Florence Bearman at Transaid +44 (0)20 7387 8136
James Keeler at Garnett Keeler +44 (0)20 8647 4467, or by email to james.keeler@garnettkeeler.com
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