What skills do you think are important to be a successful stock movement assistant?

Warehouse assistants control the flow of stock through a warehouse, monitoring goods in and out, safely and efficiently moving and handling items and keeping stock records.

The UK is home to thousands of warehouses operated by everyone from multinationals to one-man businesses. These facilities range from state-of-the-art chilled storage units to draughty barns. Millions of square feet are given over to the storage and warehouses are as varied as they are ubiquitous! With consumers demanding an ever-increasing range of goods on supermarket shelves and with a boom in internet shopping, warehouses are an essential part of UK infrastructure. Getting the goods from the manufacturer to the distributor to the customer is the job of the logistics industry, and warehouses are a key element in this chain, ensuring the timely and accurate supply of goods to customers and retail outlets. Warehouse assistants are employed to make sure the process runs smoothly.

Warehouse assistants are employed in many different industries and the particular role of a warehouse assistant will vary according to the sector and the type of facility in which they work

• distribution centre, manufacturing plant etc. The larger the

operation, the more specific the role is likely to be, with specialist pickers, packers, stock controllers. Smaller businesses are more likely to require a warehouse assistant to be an all rounder, pitching in with all aspects of goods control and distribution.

This is a male-dominated industry, but gender should not be a barrier to applicants. Warehouse staff usually work as part of a team, headed up by a team leader or supervisor. Again, the size and number of teams will be dependent on the particular business and the industry