Hands-on training key to unlocking jobs

Experience remains the key driver in the freight and logistics industry which is highly technical and also very specialised, says Dr Lynn Ribton-Turner, managing member of Ribton-Turner Recruitment. “The opportunities in the freight industry are usually not open to individuals who do not have a freight background, experience or a tertiary qualification in freight and or supply chain,” she told FTW. “Most employers in the freight industry will insist on freight experience even for financial, credit and human resource managers. This is a highly specialised industry and employers seek staff that understand the culture, the global environment, the banking component and its other idiosyncrasies.” Dr Ribton-Turner therefore advises school leavers to gain as much ‘hands on’ freight experience as they possibly can if they wish to enter into the industry. “This could be through a learnership, part time study towards a diploma or a degree in supply chain or by working for a logistics company,” she said. “The industry is becoming very competitive – and for career advancement, a tertiary qualification is of great help – particularly for the ambitious individuals who seek at a later stage to enter into the management or executive domain.” The fear of retrenchment has diminished and there are more operational candidates willing to make a change. "There is without a doubt still an ongoing skills shortage in the critical roles of estimators, entry clerks and specialist sales executives. However, we do find the pressure easing on the controller roles with solid experienced individuals responding to our advertisements for import/ export, air, ocean and road controllers," she says. At the management and executive level, Dr Ribton- Turner said operational candidates are more readily available than those with a successful sales or commercial background. As the market becomes more sophisticated there are numerous new commercial roles such as head of vertical markets or head of key accounts. INSERT & CAPTION Experience a key recruitment driver. – Dr Lynn Ribton-Turner