This spring, the FIATA Foundation Vocational Training, FIATA’s capacity building powerhouse, looked at the Tanzania Freight Forwarders Association (TAFFA) educational landscape. Of especial interest is what has happened there since 2012, year when the train-the-trainer course was conducted.

As the FFVT follows a continuous improvement philosophy, it constantly (re)defines the prerequisites for successful train-the-trainer operations. Evidence of success includes facts such as whether the association member validated and conducted a FIATA Diploma in Freight Forwarding Programme, how many students have graduated and acquired the diploma, if they have plans of escalating their training programme and validating the FIATA Higher Diploma in Freight Forwarding, and what course evaluations and statistics say about trainer performance. 

But apart from fact-based evidence, the FFVT also considers the human aspect of training and education. That is why, as part of the follow-up, the FFVT decided to celebrate success and invited the two best students of the TOT in Tanzania, Mr Ahmad Mohamed and Mr Honest Roman, to attend the FIATA Headquarters Session in Zurich with honours. Ahmad is a Certified Public Accountant CPA(T) and a Trainer in Customs and Tax Management at the Institute of Tax Administration in Tanzania and Honest is a Business Development and Consultant, currently working as Business Development Manager in Fifa and Flow Freight Company Limited. The FIATA Foundation editors meet with them in Zurich and asked them what the elements of success for a TOT Learner are. 

“Attending a TOT you may find everything new and hard to understand. This will bring a lot of unrest during the training session and eventually poor performance. For one to be successful, then you need to consider the following: a TOT is an ongoing learning activity/circle. It is built on the premises that you have the knowledge of the industry and you are eager to be a trainer. This notion is among the key success factors for a TOT learner and is even more important when you are exposed to new terms like “Andragogy”, they tell us.

 In their opinion, successful training that produces the desired results lies almost entirely on the hands of the trainer. Having professional and experienced trainers like Thomas Sim, Prof Peter Wong, Dr Vincent Valentine and Prof Uwe Schick was the key to their success as they were constantly motivated to be proactive and participate and received thorough explanations to their queries.

 Honest and Roman insisted in making future TOT attendants aware of the fact that this course requires a high degree of discipline and dedication especially when it comes to time management and classroom participation. “Any delay is catastrophe at the end of the day, even if it is a two minutes delay. Observing timetable is essential for a TOT learner. Those who managed to be motivated are successful,” they add.

 They finish with a valuable tip: “It is usual for trainee to get surprised when a trainer introduces new things. At the TOT course you may get many surprises and new information, but don’t get overwhelmed. The best thing to do is to find linkages between the newly introduced topics and what you always do or you already know.”

 The FFVT will conduct its second TOT course in 2015, this time in Zimbabwe from April 30th to May 14th. The FFVT international facilitators certainly look forward to another group of students that shows the same enthusiasm, energy, positive attitude and genuine interest as those in Tanzania. And the FIATA Review editors look forward to learning more from them.  

The FIATA Foundation for Vocational Training chose a fine way to start this year. It sponsored a Train-the-Trainer course in Santiago de Chile from January 2^nd to 16^th, 2015. ALOG (Asociación Logística de Chile) FIATA’s Association Member in Chile applied for this course pointing to the importance of training and education in the field of freight forwarding and logistics in a country that is the world’s No. 1 copper producer and the second largest producer of salmon. The success of transportation and logistics operators depends decisively on the quality and qualifications of its employees.

During two weeks 13 course attendants obtained professional training in a condensed way. International facilitators included the following experienced personalities: Thomas Sim, ABVT Chairman; Uwe Schick, Director of Studies, Head of Department for Forwarding & Logistics and Senior Teacher at Julius-Leber-Schule, Frankfurt am Main; Vincent Valentine, transport economist at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva, Switzerland; and Dr. Peter Wong, Professor at Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Certainly, the success of education at the FIATA Foundation is the result of an emphasis on selecting teachers, as well as prioritising investment in developing countries.

FIATA has a historical tradition of respect for education. Its foundation cares deeply about the sector’s professional development. Across the years a solid training plan has been consolidated covering Andragogy, Road Transport, Air Transport, Rail Transport, Sea Transport, Multimodal, Dangerous Good Handling, ICT, Logistics, Warehousing, Safety and Security, Trade Facilitation, Insurance, and Supply Chain Management. The global character of the programme is then enriched by local lecturers to provide students with national knowledge on Customs Procedures, Legal Matters, and specific modes of transport relevant to the country.

One of the aspects that renders this programme distinct is its future-orientation and industry acceptance and recognition. Successful TOT absolvents receive a Train-the-Trainer Certification that validates them as official FIATA Foundation Trainers. The course also includes a strategic planning to ensure that a FIATA Diploma in Freight Forwarding Programme is implemented in the country. ALOG lies at the forefront of a determined education agenda – collaborating with national universities a course will be launched in Chile in March this year. Global economic competitiveness is the aim of this course, and ALOG knows that education is one of the drivers.

The TOT system values test-taking abilities, creativity and critical thinking. Students are assessed in several ways including a challenging 6-hour examination on factual knowledge and individual presentations that evaluate their teaching skills. Participants learn how to teach other adults, acquiring the effective skills that are necessary for industry training. In such circumstances, teachers of adult learning working as facilitators are expected to prove themselves as unobtrusive and learn how to identify learning objectives, create a lesson plan, and acquire presentation skills that allow a natural flow and interaction among the learners.

The FIATA Foundation’s reputation as an educational powerhouse is well-deserved – as can be inferred from some of the participants’ feedback:

“I’m grateful for this chance and pretty amazed of what can be done with the knowledge hereby acquired. The programme was challenging and lecturers were great!”

“The TOT is world class. It is a huge plus to have lecturers for the other side of the world, with other points of view and experiences. It’s also good that modules include topics or modes of transport not usually used locally.”

“I really think this course was excellent in every aspect: excellent teachers and materials.”

“It was an unforgettable experience and it will contribute a lot to my future.”

In addition, to have a better overview of the transportation industry in Chile, facilitators visited the Port of Valparaiso. Valparaíso is a major city, seaport, and educational centre commune in Chile. Visiting this city was an instructive experience for all.

Aware of the strong need for differentiated development options in the transportation and logistics industry, the FIATA Foundation is planning a further TOT Programmes this year, in Zimbabwe.

The SADC (Southern African Development Community) is a regional organisation consisting of 15 Member Countries. These are Angola, Botswana, Congo (DR), Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. According to its website, the “main objectives of SADC are to achieve development, peace and security, and economic growth, to alleviate poverty, enhance the standard and quality of life of the peoples of Southern Africa, and support the socially disadvantaged through regional integration, built on democratic principles and equitable and sustainable development”. It is my observation that there is huge potential of the Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) playing a significant role in the achievement of these set objectives, given that FIATA is the largest non governmental organization in the field of transportation with worldwide influence and representing a huge number of forwarding and logistics organisations.

It is interesting to note though, that the majority of the countries in the SADC region are not members of FIATA. And yet FIATA could play a major role in the objective of achieving development and economic growth for the region.

Only South Africa, Zimbabwe Zambia and Tanzania (i.e. 4 out of 15 SADC member countries) are members of FIATA. The countries that have formal training programs are South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mauritius and to a lesser extent Zambia. Of these, only Zimbabwe and SA are conducting FIATA accredited training. South Africa is ahead of Zimbabwe in that it also offers the Higher Diploma, which Zimbabwe currently does not offer. Like Zimbabwe, Tanzania has received a TOT course from FIATA but is still to offer the FIATA diploma. Their training is still localized. Mauritius does offer very good training programs although these are not FIATA accredited.

Observation

It is apparent that there is a real need for formal training within the SADC region under the auspices of FIATA in view of FIATA’s global influence in freight forwarding and logistics.

As a region, we do not seem to have regional co-operation in terms of training among SADC members. This is in spite of having a SADC regional body i.e., the Federation of Clearing and Forwarding Associations of Southern Africa (FCFASA), which is currently led by the CEO of the Shipping and Forwarding Agents’ Association of Zimbabwe (SFAAZ), Joseph Musariri. There is however some momentum towards a regional training programme based on FIATA minimum standards. If this is achieved, perhaps there can be some level of uniformity in terms of logistics practice across the region, which would bode well with the objectives of SADC. There is perhaps an opportunity for FIATA through its ABVT to work with Southern Africa through this SADC platform.

It is anticipated that training could achieve the following objectives among others:

— Improve overall efficiency in the movement of goods
— Ensure that the shipping and freight forwarder’s industry activities are not a barrier to trade but a positive enabler
— Reduce corruption through introducing efficient service delivery provided by knowledgeable and well trained professionals
— Enhance revenue collection for the various governments through expert service delivery
— Minimise the risk of penalties for shipping and freight forwarding agents because the service providers are well trained and knowledgeable in their work.

Training in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe has a well-established and robust training programme under FIATA and has received FIATA TOT training. The training is conducted through face-to-face delivery of lectures. The course modules provided by the association are tailor-made to meet the needs of industry, making SFAAZ graduates highly marketable in Zimbabwe and the Southern Africa region. The training is conducted by affiliated private colleges and institutions, which have been accredited by the national body responsible for accrediting educational institutions in Zimbabwe. The legal rights to all the training material remain vested in the Shipping and Forwarding Agents’ Association of Zimbabwe (SFAAZ). The examinations are set, marked and moderated by SFAAZ. The association is also responsible for the awarding of certification. All trainers contracted by the various training institutions must be accredited by SFAAZ. These requirements ensure that SFAAZ monitors overall training standards and facilities to maintain the integrity of the training programs offered. Zimbabwe hopes to introduce e-learning in the not too distant future.

It is noteworthy that the training being conducted in Zimbabwe has a strong bias to customs issues. I believe this is a result of the structure of our economy, which places a lot of reliance on revenue collection matters. While expertise in freight forwarding matters is notably important it would seem there is nothing that propels the need for training in this area, not even legislation, whereas work in the customs field requires licensing and hence a compelling reason for training.

Conclusion

There remains a lot of work to be done in the area of industry training at a regional level. It is hoped that the Federation of Clearing and Forwarding Associations of Southern Africa (FCFASA) will motivate for the necessary training in consultation with FIATA for the benefit of the region.

I have participated in the FIATA TOT programme conducted in Zimbabwe. This was a very intense and highly informative programme, which required absolute commitment and focus. I will draw on my personal experiences to share some thoughts on the elements of success for a TOT trainer.

The decision to participate in the TOT must not be taken lightly in view of the level of mental and emotional commitment that one requires to give to the programme. Due to the fact that the training is offered to professionals who have other commitments relating to their professional occupations, the programme entails covering large volumes of material in a relatively short space of time so as to be able to release learners back to their work. There are also cost considerations in that the training is offered in part by lecturers from abroad who need to be accommodated and whose expenses must be met by FIATA. The cost of the training facility must also be taken into account. The level of intensity therefore requires that the learner puts everything else aside for the two week period and principally focuses on the demands of the programme.

It is my belief that an essential ingredient must be drive and passion for the programme which is fuelled by having a long term view of the impact and effects of the training on ones own professional development and the industry at large. To be successful one cannot afford to miss any lectures and must be fully attentive and focused during the sessions. An alert and analytical mind is important as this will assist in grasping the various techniques for applying the principles learned as well as techniques for approaching the examinations. One will need to identify the most critical information as it is delivered during the lectures.

A certain level of preparation is required as well as some background reading on the subjects delivered, as there will be some topics that the learner will not be readily familiar with. The learner needs to commit a lot of time to revising each day’s lectures on a daily basis and completing assignments as they are given. Allowing the work to accumulate will compromise the quality of learning. This therefore calls for huge support and sacrifice on the part of family and others who have a claim on the learner’s time. Social events will also need to be sacrificed during the training period.

The ability to relate to other members of the class provides a platform for discussion and interrogating issues. This is useful in the process of assimilating information and making sure that principles are well understood.  This was particularly useful in interrogating the practical aspects of the course and bouncing off my presentation topic to team members. One is also able to learn and draw from the experiences of team members.

The training facilities need to be conducive to the fact that the learner is required to spend lengthy periods of the day at the training facility. 

When all is said and done, a TOT learner cannot succeed on this programme without a passion for the training as well as total and absolute commitment. 

I have participated in the FIATA TOT programme conducted in Zimbabwe. This was a very intense and highly informative programme, which required absolute commitment and focus. I will draw on my personal experiences to share some thoughts on the elements of success for a TOT trainer.

The decision to participate in the TOT must not be taken lightly in view of the level of mental and emotional commitment that one requires to give to the programme. Due to the fact that the training is offered to professionals who have other commitments relating to their professional occupations, the programme entails covering large volumes of material in a relatively short space of time so as to be able to release learners back to their work. There are also cost considerations in that the training is offered in part by lecturers from abroad who need to be accommodated and whose expenses must be met by FIATA. The cost of the training facility must also be taken into account. The level of intensity therefore requires that the learner puts everything else aside for the two week period and principally focuses on the demands of the programme.

It is my belief that an essential ingredient must be drive and passion for the programme which is fuelled by having a long term view of the impact and effects of the training on ones own professional development and the industry at large. To be successful one cannot afford to miss any lectures and must be fully attentive and focused during the sessions. An alert and analytical mind is important as this will assist in grasping the various techniques for applying the principles learned as well as techniques for approaching the examinations. One will need to identify the most critical information as it is delivered during the lectures.

A certain level of preparation is required as well as some background reading on the subjects delivered, as there will be some topics that the learner will not be readily familiar with. The learner needs to commit a lot of time to revising each day’s lectures on a daily basis and completing assignments as they are given. Allowing the work to accumulate will compromise the quality of learning. This therefore calls for huge support and sacrifice on the part of family and others who have a claim on the learner’s time. Social events will also need to be sacrificed during the training period.

The ability to relate to other members of the class provides a platform for discussion and interrogating issues. This is useful in the process of assimilating information and making sure that principles are well understood.  This was particularly useful in interrogating the practical aspects of the course and bouncing off my presentation topic to team members. One is also able to learn and draw from the experiences of team members.

The training facilities need to be conducive to the fact that the learner is required to spend lengthy periods of the day at the training facility. Sufficient tools such as air conditioning, laptops and access to the internet are essential.

When all is said and done, a TOT learner cannot succeed on this programme without a passion for the training as well as total and absolute commitment. 

From the largest river in the world, to the longest mountain range, through to the driest desert and deep jungles, South America is a diverse and challenging continent for international transport and logistics.

Twelve countries share this continent. The area is larger than the whole of Europe and the estimated population is 406 million people, who live mainly near the coasts of this land.

South America is rich in raw materials, which are usually obtained from deep within this vast landmass. This requires extended transport infrastructure.

In the last decades, South America has gone through strong urbanisation and the population in the cities has become increasingly concentrated. People now enjoy a higher income and are demanding an ever increasing range and quantity of consumer goods.

Based on the above, it would seem that South America would be very conscious of its transport and logistics requirements, and that it should have developed a large and professional group of intellectuals to deal with these challenges. Unfortunately due to a lack of economic development and under investment in education, South America is running short of dynamic scholars and engineers that have a clear understanding of international transport and logistics. This lack of highly trained professionals is then a problem when the Continent’s interconnection is discussed by its political leaders.

Regional political forums are awash with ideas and big projects to develop infrastructure and integration. The key phrase is “Corridors”, usually to link two opposite coasts, or big cities in different countries. These “Corridors” usually end up being almost the same current roads, railroads or ports with minimal additional investment. Unfortunately detailed research of the assets available, the transport needs of the regions being connected, or the available economic opportunities is not really taken into account.  A connection from a major mining region to a port would get a road upgrade instead of a railroad, or a regional airport would get funding for a new cargo terminal when there is no chance there will ever be any freighter operations in that airport.

Having made the basic point of the need for better trained professionals in the area of international transport and logistics, we will briefly review one country, Chile.

Chile has a large number of Universities, offering diverse undergraduate and postgraduate courses, but few offer topics related to logistics or transport (other than building or planning construction). Logistics is usually circumscribed to warehousing and consumer oriented Supply Chain Management. Both of Chile’s top universities, Universidad de Chile and Universidad Catolica de Chile, do not offer any undergraduate courses that cover logistics or transport in the commercial sense.

Multimodal transport as a concept is rarely heard outside the shipping lines and freight forwarder community. No multimodal transport subject appears in the university programmes, not even in specialised postgraduate studies in logistics.

Due to the short supply of logistics professionals, logistics is seldom considered by a local company’s management. Nor is it in the public agenda. Though there is innovation with regard to either marketing and packaging, or increased/improved production. SCM or Logistics Managers come from Trade Schools and seldom have any interest in or authority to implement strategic planning or major changes in the way a company handles its logistics.

One railroad executive complained that it took him years to convince the management of a large local mining corporation to switch part of its logistics to railroad, even with a clear cost advantage, due largely to the lack of interest in and understanding of the advantages of this means of transport.

Another example is a freight forwarder executive complaining of fresh produce shippers ignoring cool chain issues during air transport, even if they implemented strict cool storage and quality programs during production and processing.

The government fares no better. Officials have little access to knowledge or expertise in international transport, so they usually make mistakes when planning transport infrastructure to connect or trade with other countries. A notorious example was the initial Santiago International Airport project launched some years ago. The cargo handling facilities were the only ones not upgraded or expanded in the new plan. This was based on limited research and statistics on projected slow growth of imports and exports (even though at the time of the project presentation the import warehouses were running close to 100% capacity). Runways were not upgraded to the standard needed for the new cargo aircraft, resulting in both the Boeing 747-8F and Boeing 777F being restricted in their maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) in some of the expected routes departing from Santiago.

This inward vision of logistics and transport has to change, especially for Chile, as more than 50% of its GDP comes from international trade and has to match the increasing Free Trade Agreements that the country is signing. Chile’s main foodstuff export competitor, Peru, is closer to the end markets, so innovation in transport (be it in cost, different means of transport, smart regulations, IT, etc.), should be a priority.

The Chilean Association of Freight Forwarding and Logistics (ALOG), has taken the first step towards solving this. It is implementing a diploma course on Freight Forwarding and International Transport, focused on building up the professional skills of members of the industry. This will also benefit government staff, who are expected to be invited to attend the courses.

But it should also attempt to increase the visibility of international logistics through written articles in Economic forums and related media. Decision makers in the private and public sectors must be made aware of the subject.

Hopefully the increase in visibility of this specific area of the Economy through the training of more people and media publications will push other educational institutions to take note and teach international logistics.

The long term objective should be for the government and management of private companies to understand the importance of international logistics, and therefore be better informed and make better decisions, for the benefit of the economy and well-being of the whole country and the region.