SA learners get their Fiata diplomas after 10-year drought

Ten years since the last certificate was awarded, 12 South African learners received the coveted Fiata Diploma in Freight Forwarding from Global Maritime Learning Solutions (GMLS) at the Fiata RAME Congress Diploma Certificate Ceremony held at Emperors Palace, Johannesburg last week. GMLS was appointed as the Fiata Diploma training provider after its successful tender to the SA Association of Freight Forwarders and is able to offer both the Fiata Diploma in International Freight Forwarding and the Fiata Higher Diploma in Supply Chain Management. “One of the most significant changes in the freight forwarding industry over the past ten years has been the move away from traditional freight forwarding towards functional integration through supply chain management,” GMLS managing director Mark Goodger told FTW. “The Fiata Higher Diploma in Supply Chain Management equips learners with the competencies required to meet these new challenges and ensures that they are operating at the same level of competence as their overseas counterparts,” he said. “We initiated the development of the material for South Africa when we noticed that although South Africa was one of the first countries in the world to have its courseware validated for the Fiata diploma in 1996, only 65 Fiata diplomas had been awarded to South African learners out of a total of 7131 worldwide. “More disturbing was the fact that no Fiata diplomas had been awarded to South African learners since 1999. Operating in an international market, it is important to be able to obtain a qualification written and validated by the international body for freight forwarders, namely Fiata. We are dedicated to providing internationally benchmarked training programmes in the field of global logistics and supply chain management, and our development of the South African material allows us to offer training of an international standard,” Goodger added. GMLS has submitted its course material for revalidation of the Fiata Diploma and the Fiata Higher Diploma in Supply Chain Management to Fiata this year.