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Issue 8 2019 - Freight Business Journal


///TRAINING Tackling the skills shortage


With the new Freight Forwarding Apprenticeship and all the issues thrown up by Brexit, training is an issue the industry cannot aff ord to ignore.


Forwarding Apprenticeship gains momentum


relevant to their own business. However, customs does perhaps


Uptake of the UK national Freight Forwarding


Apprenticeship is


going reasonably well despite a few glitches over government funding, says Carl Hobbis, BIFA’s training development manager. With the fi rst apprentices having been taken on in September or October 2018, feedback from members is that the scheme has been reasonably successful despite some recent issues over the nationwide availability of funding for small and medium-sized fi rms - which should be addressed soon, he says. Although it is sometimes


wrongly described as such, the Freight Forwarding Apprenticeship is not actually a BIFA scheme, although the trade association has had a major input into its development and design. But


BIFA also carries out


extensive training in its own right, including customs and for dangerous goods certifi cation. “In fact, we’ve had a record year for our customs training,” says Hobbis. “Last year we ran seven sessions but this year it’s up to 26.” Interestingly, this is not because


of Brexit, or at least not exclusively so. Rather, Hobbis suggests that the new apprenticeship has been the catalyst. That said, there has also been an upsurge in BIFA’s online customs


training too and this is more directly a result of Brexit, he says. The apprenticeship is perhaps


one of the best recruiting tools for the industry, says Hobbis. Companies at the moment oſt en talk about recruiting more customs experts but there is no ready supply of such people. A far better approach might be to ‘grow your own’ through an eff ective training and development programme. Hobbs adds that employers


serious about recruitment should also consider getting involved in National Apprenticeship Week on 3-7 February 2020 or National Careers Week (nationalcareersweek.com) on 2-7 March. Many schools and colleges will be attending events, and there will be opportunities for companies to host events of their own. The UK freight forwarding


industry has in the past had a relatively unstructured approach to training compared with some other


countries, particularly


Germany. Perhaps this could change in time, Hobbis ventures. While there are no current plans to revitalise the old Institute of Freight Forwarder qualifi cations, it is something that could happen in future, if there is suffi cient demand, he says.


Young Forwarders ready to go in East Anglia


BIFA held the fi rst gathering of its Anglia regional group to its Young Forwarder Network, launched earlier this year, on 13 November at Ipswich Town Football Club. It joins existing


groups in the Midlands,


North West, London East and London West. Guest speakers at the launch of


the Anglia regional group included offi cials from Operation Pandora, the


Joint Borders Intelligence


Team, that is working together with trade to combat crime in shipping and forwarding. Operation Pandora


representatives gave an insight into to the issue with input from Border Force, Counter Terrorism Police, HMRC and the National Crime Agency, including real-life scenarios of criminality at the border, such as terrorism, drugs, fi rearms, smuggled cigarettes and tobacco; as well as organised immigration crime. YFN members also learned how


to better protect the reputation of the companies that they work for and help safeguard the public. Participants were also provided with more details about the YFN


lend itself to an e-learning approach better than some other aspects of the industry as it is essentially the same process anywhere and in any situation. A course of, say, multimodal transport would have to be quite generic and would not necessarily relate to any specifi c operation or company. That said, BIFA would consider


In the meantime, the immediate


priority is for companies to build up their level of customs knowledge in advance of Brexit though, at the time of writing in early November, the industry still did not know exactly what shape and form Brexit would take, which makes training for it a diffi cult and frustrating business. The e-learning courses that BIFA


has been off ering in conjunction with British Chambers of Commerce, the Institute of Export, training consultancy Strong & Herd and Make UK since March 2019, do however off er a relatively low cost and simple route to knowledge. In fact, they are realistically the only way in which customs training can be rapidly scaled up, says Hobbis. It is cheaper than face to face training though of course students don’t get the decades of experience that only a ‘real’ human tutor can bring, nor can they ask specifi c questions


and given an opportunity to discuss how they would like their regional group to operate going forward. Carl Hobbis, BIFA’s training


development manager, said: “We have had a really good response to the launch of the YFN and have already held several well attended events that are assisting in the development of future freight forwarding ambassadors and leaders for the sector. “By creating several regional


networking groups, run by young forwarders, the YFN aims to help early talent and young BIFA members develop their knowledge and professional skills, but in a more social environment.”


extending its range of online courses, subject to cost and availability of staff . However, creating an online training course is expensive and labour-intensive (the customs e-learning courses have benefi ted from government


funding). “It’s not a priority at the moment, but it is something we would consider, along with adding more detail to the existing customs courses,” says Hobbis. Although not a specifi cally


training venture, BIFA’s recently- created Young Forwarder Network also includes a strong educational element. In the regions where it is active, it has already held a number of ‘behind the scenes’ visits to ports, airports and depots and it has also organised social events with guest speakers from the industry. The network is now up and


running in the Heathrow area, North-west England, Essex and the South-East and the Midlands and has just launched in Anglia and there are advanced plans for the Dover area. However, says


Hobbis, more employers must be willing to allow their young people time off from their day jobs to attend events, although BIFA is experimenting with late aſt ernoon/early even events that might be easier to accommodate. Hobbis would also like more


companies to step forward and host talks and other educational events. Some employers also take a


rather “old fashioned” view and worry about employees mixing with the opposition or even being poached. (Although in the age of social media and the internet, there are surely many more eff ective ways in which anyone determined to do this could approach staff than a two-hour social event.)


100 students greater knowledge and


confi dence


In post Brexit Britain, businesses will need to understand how Customs procedures operate between the UK and mainland Europe. Furthermore, with emerging markets outgrowing our European neighbours and with the government looking to forge new trade partnerships with them, businesses will need to gain customs expertise to make the most of new opportunities around the world. This is why the UK Customs set


Academy was up – to


support the development of a robust and sustainable customs intermediaries’ sector for future challenges, through investing in quality training and online learning, up-skilling more people and making learning opportunities more fl exible and accessible to all. Till now, people looking aſt er


Customs responsibilities in their companies have too oſt en learnt about important rules and procedures on the job, without any previous training or qualifi cations. Professor David Widdowson


AM, the Dean of the new Academy, says that customs should be viewed in a similar vein to other professions – you need specialist training to do it properly. He said:


“Like any profession such as law, engineering or accounting you need to make sure that you have the right skills, knowledge and competence to do the job properly.” Lucy Masters, imports and


exports compliance manager at retailer The Co-op, and one of the fi rst students to go through the Customs Academy’s online courses, agreed, saying: “There’s always going to be an element of learning on the job but having some sort of formal training is good because you can capture everything end-to-end. When you’re just learning on the job, you might miss certain things or not see the whole picture as you’re seeing your role in isolation without seeing the wider context of how what you’re doing fi ts in.” The Customs Academy’s


courses, cater for all levels from school leaver to masters degree, all of which can be taken alongside full-time work. They help individuals to obtain these valuable skills and help businesses to ensure their staff are properly equipped for the challenges they will face in the years to come. The Customs Academy was


only launched in September this year, but it is already giving over


to


enhance


the roles they play within their companies. Damien Bennow, Logistics Supervisor at ADSN Solutions Ltd, who has studied for the Level


2 Customs Practice


and Procedure Award, said: “I signed up for the course to gain a better understanding of my organisation’s responsibilities post Brexit and to also gain knowledge in customs policies and procedures. The Level 2 Customs Practice and Procedure award defi nitely delivered what I was hoping for - and more. I feel a lot more knowledgeable in Customs policies and procedures and I am confi dent we can keep our business moving forward aſt er Brexit.” Carole Carrie, administration


manager at aerospace fi rm STAR-Dundee, agrees, saying that studying customs rules and


procedures through the


Academy has given her a clearer picture of the impact of her work within her company: “I have really enjoyed studying with the Customs Academy and have gained a lot of knowledge and understanding, although I am still in the early stages. I have found it very benefi cial starting at the basics, with Level 2,


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