Never before have the industry’s diverse training needs been better served by the varied range of courses on offer. This mini-feature focuses on some of the options. Chris Richards . . . ‘The course is written to assist everyone.’ The group responsible for Lufthansa training courses are (from left) quality co-ordinator Gunda Buhr, warehouse course trainer Jaco van der Merwe, basic course trainer Anita Ferri and training centre manager Michelle Nolting, who is also dangerous goods course trainer. JUST OVER a year since the opening of the Lufthansa Cargo Regional Training Centre in South Africa, the comprehensive course programme is finding a growing market. Launched in response to industry demand for airfreight training on a par with the standard of courses run by the airline overseas, it offers internationally recognised courses at local rates, says director Lutz Grzegorz. These range from the IATA Dangerous Goods courses - Category 3 and 4&9 - to a range of basic cargo day courses, an agent’s warehousing course, and a safety and security course. The content targets the full airfreight industry spectrum, from importers, exporters and packers to airlines, airline ground handling agents and forwarding agents. The dangerous goods courses are accredited by the South African Civil Aviation Authority. The team of four trainers, all of whom have undergone rigorous training in Germany to qualify as trainers, also have practical experience in the airline industry. Three years with Lufthansa is the minimum requirement, but the majority have notched up a good deal more. The fully equipped and custom-designed training centre is based 5km from Johannesburg International Airport. But because of the flexible nature of the courses, they can be conducted anywhere in Southern Africa and each course can be structured to meet the individual requirements of the participants.
