How is Sysco Managing the Wholesale Skills Gap?
According to Katrina Simpson-Haines, Human Resources Director of Sysco GB, training the next generation of workers is becoming harder.
Discussing Sysco’s wider recommendations for upskilling in wholesale, she says: “We play a vital role in supporting communities across the country, but the skills crisis means that it is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit and train the next generation of workers.”
These comments come as Sysco launches its latest paper ‘A Skills Strategy for the Wholesale Sector’, which is calling on the UK Government to speed up the pace of centralised upskilling programmes as AI literacy becomes a rising priority.
The paper suggests that, by deploying these insights, the government can address the significant employment challenges facing the wholesale and retail sectors.
Flexibility in upskilling programmes
According to Sysco, many retailers and wholesalers have to rely on slower-moving training programmes run by regulatory bodies.
In its paper, the company calls on the government to provide employers with the power to address their most urgent skills challenges internally, as businesses understand their own operational challenges better than other parties.
When businesses have more power over their skills development programmes, they are able to act quickly and decisively to upskill their workforce, Sysco says.
The company developed its own upskilling programme to help manage an HGV driver skill shortage.
Despite making up 28% of its workforce, the company was experiencing a shortage of HGV drivers due to a competitive labour market, with recruiting and retaining drivers remaining a challenge for those across the wholesale sector.
With its ‘Changing Gears’ training programme, Sysco has the ability to upskill employees in a 24-week programme tailored specifically to the needs of its business, rather than having prospective drivers take a 13 month apprenticeship route, as was industry standard.
Sysco reports that this programme has a 100% pass rate and has led to higher retention rates for drivers.
Preparing wholesalers for the future of work
The company also recommends in its report that employees in the foodservice and logistics sectors need to be upskilled in AI readiness, with these technologies already transforming route optimisation and logistics management in the wholesale industry.
Sector specific AI training, Sysco says, can allow employers to apply AI and wider digital tools to their unique operational challenges, helping upskill their workforce with business critical skills.
These programmes, however, must be flexible and relevant to specific industries or roles. Effectively designed AI training can support broader workforce development training, enhance productivity and build future-ready skills, says Sysco.
AI is beginning to play a more significant role in the retail and wholesale sectors, with Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, announcing at the National Retail Federation in January 2026 that Google will partner with retailers to improve end-to-end shopping experiences.
He said: “It’s a really dynamic moment for every industry, especially retail. That’s due in part to the AI era we’re in.
“We’ve been partnering with retailers and helping them grow through technology shifts for more than two decades. And we’re excited for a new era of partnership ahead and using our differentiated full stack approach to AI innovation to help.”
Sysco’s insights follow the UK government announcing foundational AI training courses for UK workers, with aims to upskill 10 million people by 2030.
This training aims to increase AI confidence for both employers and employees, while hoping to set standards for strong AI upskilling.
With developments like these making significant changes, Sysco’s call for targeted, sector specific training is a key strategy wholesalers can employ to future proof their workforces, strengthen mobility and sustain productivity across the wider economy.
