Skills shortage hits stevedoring sector

The skills shortage is an issue for every sector of the industry, but particularly hard hit is stevedoring, in the view of Tarryn Lange, regional manager KZN Stevedores for Bidfreight Port Operations. “Stevedoring is a tough industry and we find that the majority of graduates from the Durban University of Technology (Maritime Studies Unit) are choosing seagoing subjects and going to sea instead of finding employment at shore side companies,” said Lange. “For this reason BPO conducts in-house training and learnerships for lower level skills upwards, but is finding it difficult to attract graduates for supervisory and management positions.”