new competencies and
innovations in logistics

Previously the only training programme for experienced workers offered within the logistics area in Denmark has been the truck drivers' education and certificate. However, there has been a constant need for skilled workers in warehousing (pickers/packers, foremen, and forklift drivers) for more qualified jobs and an individual training. The social partners have recognised the need for a formal certificate and education within these logistics areas.

Many of the employees have already been working within the area for several years, and have also had some shorter training programmes (typically varying between one day and two weeks). Therefore many of the "unskilled" workers have qualifications which include many elements of the already existing training for apprenticeship (three-year programme).

The training is focused on more advanced operations in warehouses, advanced warehouse management, sales and purchasing, which qualify participants to assist in efficient management of the warehouse and supplies. The training is a combination of practice within the company and periods of teaching lessons. The "normal" time is 3 years, for all participants who are joining the training without any previous experience. To join the specific version of this training programme for experienced workers, participants have to be at least 25 years old and must have been working within the logistics sector for at least four years.

The sequence of the training is:

• Individual clarification of already acquired competences. This clarification should show which competences the participant already has and what elements are missing if the requirements for the certificate are to be met.
• Making a training contract with a company (often the same company in which the employee is already working).
• Training contents.
• Working plan in the company.
• If necessary, job retraining programme.
• If necessary, other general education.
• Four weeks certificate period.
• Certificate.

The primary element is the individual clarification, which should show what competences the participants already have. The clarification is done in a short course, between one and three days. The course is the basis for the planning of the training programme. The teachers of the course are especially educated to supervise the participants to clarify the individual competences. Taking this course is a requirement for the training programme.

Qualifications could already be acquired from previous jobs both in logistics and non logistics, job retraining programmes, military services, other training and education and other experiences e.g. manager in a sports club. All previous experiences will influence the individual training programme, because the programme has to complement the missing elements. The combination of new skills and previous experiences will give the participants the possibility to pass the final examination.

After the qualifications are identified, the training programme is set up to make sure that the necessary qualifications have been acquired. The training period will be between four and twelve months. In the last four weeks of the period the final testing for the certificate is done. The duration of the training depends on the actual need for more training, which is determined after the individual clarification.

The construction of the training programme gives the possibility to reduce the total duration of the programme related to the participant's previous experiences. The training programme is modulated, structured and therefore it is possible to include existing courses in the training programme. Existing job retraining programmes will cover much of the necessary extra training, which is often supplied by the same school that runs the warehouse and logistics operator training programme.

The training programme is shorter than a comparable 3 years' apprenticeship. Therefore it appeals to people without a formal education who have been working in the logistics sector for several years. Through the training programme, it is possible to credit the already acquired skills and qualifications.

The training programme has not unveiled any major problems. There can be several reasons for this, namely:

• TThe social partners support the programme, because there is a need for more training within the logistics area.
• Many people, who already work within the logistics area, want to have a certificate that proves their qualifications.
• Many of the training elements have already been implemented at the job retraining centres. Parallel to this programme there is a traditional 3-year training programme, for people without any previous experiences within the logistics area.

The training programme has been running since 2000. The result of this training is that several employees who had been working within the logistics functions as unskilled workers, have had the possibility to prove their qualifications - after the individual clarification - and have received training, which makes it possible for them to get a certificate as warehouse and logistics operator.

This training programme has several elements of good practice which are interesting to transfer to other contexts:

Expliciting competences
In several areas there are unskilled workers, who have many useful qualifications, but do not have proof of this in the form of a certificate. Using the model it is possible to design a training programme that takes already existing qualifications into consideration. Therefore it is possible to make a more concentrated training programme for the benefit of both participants and companies. In Denmark this sort of targeted training has already been operational in several other areas, e.g. blacksmith and cabinetmaker.

Individual clarification
The individual clarification is a useful tool, because it is possible to design the individual training programme for each participant. This clarification process can be used both as a part of a formal training/education but it is also possible to use it as an evaluation element in companies, when they hire employees, to make sure that the needed qualifications are fulfilled.

Individual training
The method of individual training is transferable to other training systems and to internal training within the companies. Before doing this, it is a requirement that the level of end qualifications is determined. Then it is possible to compare the existing qualifications with the decided level. By using the knowledge about the actual qualification level, it is possible to determine the training needed. This can be done through use of existing training programmes or by designing new training programmes.

Where to find more information about this kind of education: www.tur.dk