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- Drive a forklift truck to move goods around warehouses, ports and airports
- You'll need to gain a license and to be health and safety conscious
- Opportunities to progress into supervisory roles or to work across a range of different industries
As a forklift driver, you'll be responsible for the loading of goods in a variety of locations, from warehouses, ports, to airports.
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
- Checking equipment daily and using it safely
- Loading and unloading goods from lorries, ships or aircraft
- Using radio frequency equipment to keep in touch with other staff
- Manually handling goods when necessary
- Stacking goods and moving them around in storage bays
- Picking and packing orders
- Completing paperwork for delivery notes and stock control
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
Shift work is common. You could be working at a port, on a construction site, at an airport building, in a warehouse or in a factory. Your working environment might be physically demanding, and protective clothing may need to be worn.
You'll need
To be a forklift driver, you'll need physical skills, thoroughness and attention to detail, sensitivity and understanding, ambition and a desire to succeed, the ability to operate and control equipment, basic computer skills, and knowledge of public safety and security.
You'll need to follow health and safety instructions.
There are no set requirements but GCSEs in English and maths and experience working in a warehouse could help you get a job. You might have an advantage if you've already completed forklift training, though you may undertake this anyway when you start work. Experience of loading and unloading goods and materials in a warehouse, in freight transport, or on a building site would be useful.
You'll need a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card or equivalent to train and work on a construction site.
You can get into this role through a supply chain warehouse operative intermediate apprenticeship.
You could also do a college course, such as Forklift Truck Operations.
CAREER PROSPECTS
With experience, you could become a shift supervisor or team leader. With further training, you could work as a forklift instructor or maintenance engineer. You could also become a warehouse manager. You could move into industries like construction (construction plant operator) or logistics (lorry driver).