More than 20 transport industry representatives attend VTA logistics cadetship information session, expressing great interest in the program
By Ruza Zivkusic | October 5, 2011
The Victorian Transport Association’s (VTA) logistics program is already in full swing, with four students enrolling in it.
More than 20 representatives from the transport industry attended today’s VTA logistics cadetship information session, expressing great interest in the program.
VTA business development manager Kerri Langes is pleased by the interest of students and six companies, saying the program has taken off well considering little marketing was done to date.
Speaking at the session, she called on employers to consider offering their workplace to students aged 18 to 25 years to address a skills shortage in the industry.
The pilot project, which Langes introduced while working at the Transport and Distribution Training Victoria (TDT), is back in demand after the industry expressed an interest in taking on cadets.
Up to 50 cadets have been through the program and VTA hopes to see another 15 go through the new round, with training due to commence next March.
But the global financial crisis saw five of the previous cadets lose their positions.
The program is now open to new and existing employees who have completed Year 12.
Those who undergo the program and graduate after the first year will receive a Certificate IV in Logistics and after the second year will walk away with a Diploma in Logistics, which is recognised nationally and internationally.
Some 90 percent of previous cadets had completed the program, which Langes says was a great success.
With a starting salary of $28,000 per year, getting paid while studying is very appealing to students, she adds.
The VTA, which acts as a project manager, will soon commence its marketing program targeting the industry and schools.
Langes believes more needs to be done to better educate the teachers and parents about the industry as their perception affects the career choice of students.
“Careers teachers don’t understand the industry and don’t have the time to understand it,” Langes says.
“Our job for the next year is to get them aside and teach them about the logistics and show them more about what the freight industry is all about.”
The VTA is partnering with Victoria University’s Institute for Supply Chain and Logistics to deliver the program.
Those employers who wish to take on board a cadet are required to pay the VTA $4000 in tuition fees for the two years and another $1500 to VU for enrolment fees for Certificate IV and $1800 for a diploma.
