We’ve recently partnered with the Australian Logistics Council (ALC) for their recent Future Freight Network Yearbook 2017 publication in an effort to help create future logistics leaders. Flip to pages 82-83 to see how the College for Adult Learning is contributing to get the next logistics leaders skilled, confident and qualified.
The ALC strives to highlight and push legislative, strategic and policy improvements to better Australia’s infrastructure and logistics practises so we can stay productive and sustainable.
A report released by the ALC stating that just a 1% increase in efficiency could result in an estimated of $2billion increase in the national GDP[1]. This this in mind, it’s clear that advancements in Logistics industry need to be comprehensive, cohesive, collaborative and above all, future-focused.
The ALC aims to work with governments on all sides to create a better future for the industry in Australia, including pioneering consistency and innovation across all sectors and embracing technology to really give us the edge as we grow domestically and internationally. With hopes to drive positive change across the board at state and federal levels, the ALC has been working towards creating complete, national strategies to work towards.
The rise of e-Commerce and the trend towards mobile growth has caused a paradigm shift in logistics expectations in consumers. The expectation that consumers can receive their goods in less than 24-48 hours is fostering an ‘I-want-it-now’ attitude and pushing the industry to its limit for capacity and capability.
Robotics, AI and drones might spark some ideas of Skynet, but we’re not in the Terminator movies. Instead, we’re in a new age of technology, and integrating technology into our lives and workplaces. The logistics industry is one set the reap the benefits of automation through technology. Just think of the stir it caused when Amazon announced using drones to deliver packages.
There’s has been a growing focus on automation across all labour-heavy industries, but now it’s not just a buzzword – it’s here to stay. Depending on which article you read or person you listen to, automation either creates endless opportunities and jobs, or it wipes out thousands of jobs at a time. It’s probably both. Automation is the elephant in the room threatening lower-skill jobs, but it’s also opening the door to innovation and positive change. Employers and employees simply have to adapt to these changes or get left behind.
With the addition of Amazon’s impending rollout in Australia threatening to push consumer expectations into overdrive, we simply can’t afford to sit on our hands. As an industry, we must be constantly looking for ways to use emerging tech in new and innovative ways including enhancing our distribution system technologies. It’s clear that warehousing, logistics and supply chain management simply has to be smarter.
Another constant focus going forward is alleviating congestion on the roads and in the wider freight networks. The reaction to explosive commercial growth is serious congestion on our roads. Between 2006 and 2014, the number of light commercial vehicles rose 35% nationally. Nobody likes being stuck in traffic, but when you find out that inaction now could lead to an annual cost of $53billion by 2051[2], it’s becoming even harder to stomach.
By shifting energy into planning and upgrading infrastructure – including road networks – we can aim to speed up freight times and lower costs associated with delays. Getting that truck from A to B faster makes the driver happy, the managers happy and keeps the industry moving.
Inaction on congestion could lead to annual cost of $53bn by 2051 Click To Tweet
Part of the ALC’s plan is to help “reduce human and economic costs of unsafe practices” through the drafting, development and implementation of industry safety policies and codes. By keeping standards and procedures consistent between states and sectors we are taking another step closer to negating some of the detrimental outcomes from unbalanced and confusing policies and procedures.
One such safety standard introduction you might have seen is the electronic logbook for truck drivers. Logbooks have been an issue from the start, from forgery (deliberate or unplanned) to extra pressure to ‘perform’, most drivers have cursed under their breath at this necessary evil. The introduction of electronic logbooks looks to be more reliable and take some stress out of our frontline drivers’ lives.
We’re constantly striving to improve safety, not just for the industry, but for the people within it. This is yet another area that needs leaders to take us into the new logistics landscape with confidence.
Part of our involvement in the ALC publication was to highlight the need for leaders in the logistics industry as we move forward. It’s becoming clear that we need education that embraces the vision of the ALC and fosters values and goals that align with Australia’s growing future in logistics industry development.
Logistics management is hands-on, and you need a course that equips you with practical skills – not just a piece of paper. Having consulted with a wide array of employers in the logistics and supply chain management industries, we found this was a very popular belief and that higher education courses just aren’t practical enough. Some comments we received said that graduates “just can’t do the job”, and that they waste money, time and considerable effort on “unlearning” and then “relearning” the right way to do the job.
The focus at CAL is on learning practical, job-specific skills rather than the basic prep work and rudimentary communication skills needed by school leavers or international students.
Employers look for real-world experience and capabilities in Logistics, not just academic results. And so do we. Winning in logistics is not just sticking it out on a factory floor for a few years, getting more experience and moving to middle management. Winning in logistics is leap-frogging the crowd, it’s knowing and understanding sustainability and strategic supply chain management, it’s getting more relevant skills, faster.
Leaders are constantly developing their skillsets and techniques. As the logistics industry evolves and adapts to the globalisation, digitalisation, shifts towards sustainability and the ‘I-want-it-now’ era, the logistics and supply chain industry is screaming out for competent, qualified leaders. Getting a qualification and studying the Diploma of Logistics (TLI50219) online is your first step towards becoming the next Logistics Leader.
Vocational education offers industry-relevant theory and applications that you won’t get just from being on the job, and at CAL we pride ourselves on our proven Logistics industry knowledge and expertise.
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