Unaccredited service providers impact the bottom line

Unaccredited service providers are causing havoc in the freight training industry, misleading the unsuspecting public into believing their courses are accredited and of worth. According to Jacqui Merrington of the School of Shipping, this has a major ripple effect across a business, not only creating resistance with employees who often already have to be encouraged to undertake training, but having a financial impact on businesses as the courses have to be redone with accredited trainers. She advises businesses to ensure the organisations they are using for training are properly accredited and not to fall for clever wording in advertising. “The skills situation in the country is varied but there is a definite demand for quality short skills courses,” she says. “Because there is a skills shortage which hampers our economic development, training with reputable training service providers should be encouraged. “ She says one of the major challenges often faced is that many experienced longserving employees, who learnt their trade through trial and error over many years comes into conflict with younger staff that had attended skills courses. She believes that this conflict can be resolved through open-hearted communication facilitated by management to find synergy between invaluable experience on the one hand and much needed improved/ updated industry practices on the other. There is great value in applying Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for those who have been working in the industry for many years. Merrington says encouraging an overall learning culture in the logistics sector will go a long way in addressing this issue, while at the same time playing a vital role in closing the skills gap. She says the School of Shipping has developed a range of accredited courses that can be tailor-made to offer training solutions for particular business needs. “Our newest course offering will be announced soon and will start in 2014. We will accept a maximum of 25 candidates for this course and it will run over Saturdays only for 38 weeks.” She said this course will give candidates an overview, in-depth knowledge and understanding as well as practical application exposure of the imports and exports industry. INSERT & CAPTION There is a definite demand for quality short skills courses. – Jacqui Merrington