Industry regularly approaches university for graduates

THE FREIGHT industry, in all its formats, offers massive career opportunities now, and for the next decade, according to Professor Gerrie du Plessis of the University of Johannesburg. His faculty of transport and logistics currently has over 4 000 students on its book, reading one or both subjects. This is feeding a growing demand from the trade for graduate staff. “We are finding many companies in the operating field – both road transport and general logistics – approaching us to nominate students for employment,” Du Plessis told FTW. “We have also noted a distinct increase in the numbers of people attending the vocational training we offer.” This is being ignited by a growing economy, which is creating a natural increase in the need for people in the freight industry. There’s one simple example of where this growing need is evidenced, Du Plessis added. Although the SA motor industry has seen a decline in motor car sales in the past three months – and light commercial vehicles in September – the heavy and extra-heavy sectors of the market continue to grow. “That tells you there is freight to be moved,” said Du Plessis, “because business people won’t invest in trucks unless there’s a need. “With a need for more trucks, there’s a parallel need for more people.” The increase in demand for skills in the industry also fits in with what the government proposed with its accelerated skills and development plan. “In this initiative,” said Du Plessis, “the freight industry was identified as one of the areas with a skills need.” Several companies are also pre-empting their future management needs. According to Du Plessis, a student, even at raw graduate level, is in demand. “The companies approaching us know that the people they’re looking for will only be ready for management posts in a couple of years time,” he said. “But that doesn’t deter them. “The future for people going into freight is that, in the next 10 years, there’s going to be a great demand for posts across-the-board.”