By Denise Deason
A NEW course at Victoria University’s Werribee campus will fast-track students into Australia’s transport and logistics industry, which is suffering from a shortage of truck drivers and warehouse operators.
With the help of industry partners, the one-month full-time program will give students a good chance of getting a job when they finish it.
The ready to work – transport and logistics program will be launched as a pilot project this month for about 10 students.
This work area, which generates a range of jobs that support every business in Australia, includes short and long-haul transport, distribution and warehousing.
The inaugural group of students will learn the basic skills of driving a heavy vehicle, securing cargo, operating a forklift, workplace communication, fatigue management, navigating by maps, occupational health and safety, and teamwork.
After they successfully complete the course, the students will be offered work with an organisation such as the family-owned business Peter Sadler Transport, one of the program’s major partners.
The company’s business development director, Dave Sadler, said that with so many job opportunities available, the transport and logistic industries were facing critical manpower shortages.
“We wanted to do something at the coalface to promote the industry, centred around the skills and capabilities that are required,” he said.
“Many people have out-of-date misconceptions that the industry does not offer opportunities for career development.
“At the bottom rung, you might start out driving a small van doing courier work, but with the right attitude and training you can easily move up to something like managing a warehouse.”
Students will be interviewed for the program and recruited through job networks or training organisations. They can also register directly.
The cost of the program is $408.20 concession and $846.20 non-concession.
The head of school at VU’s industry skills training department, Peter Jacobson, said the industry was becoming more desperate in its call for skilled workers.
“We keep hearing from businesses that if they could get 10 more drivers, they’d buy 10 more trucks,” he said.
“It’s getting worse all the time as the economy grows.
“Interstate truck drivers or warehouse managers can earn $100,000-plus a year.
“We want to change the perception that this is an industry of last resort and that you drive trucks or work in a warehouse if you can’t find anything else.”
Although students would have sufficient skills to begin work after completing the program, they could continue moving up through other VU courses that offered certificate levels in transport and distribution, he said.
