German expert will manage forwarding learnerships

Providing a vital skills pool for the future THE PILOT learnership launched last November by the Forwarding & Clearing Chamber of the Transport SETA (TETA F&C) is now in full swing. Eleven freight forwarders are taking part in the 18 month training programme, involving 20 employed and 20 unemployed learners. Janine Merrick, Kuehne & Nagel’s regional quality and training manager, has been appointed chairman of the Pilot Learnership Employer Committee which will monitor the progress of the pilot scheme. “Learnerships are similar to apprenticeships,” says Merrick. “They aim to give previously unskilled people the opportunity of acquiring workplace experience and training towards the achievement of formal qualifications. In this case the qualification is the National Certificate in Freight Forwarding which is registered on the National Qualifications Framework at level 3 (NQF3). Most of the elements of the qualification also form part of the internationally recognised FIATA Diploma. “ Merrick believes these learnerships will provide the F&C industry with a vital skills pool in the future. The lead provider in the Learnership is Global Trade Training (GTT), which is training learners in the international trade, customs and forwarding modules of the qualification through a challenge-based, web-enabled methodology. This is increasingly becoming recognised as the training path of the future, says Merrick. Generic business skills are being acquired through the SA Finishing School of Business (SAFSOB), with Boston Business College (BCC) providing the all important computer skills. Dr Roger Pfeiffer will manage the learnership on behalf of TETA F&C. Pfeiffer has considerable forwarding experience and has also been responsible for many commercial apprenticeships in a number of countries in Europe. He was brought to South Africa by TETA under German government sponsorship with the specific task of ensuring that learnerships in the industry are implemented along German commercial apprenticeship lines.