Cargo Carriers continues to jump-start skills development

Supply-chain solutions specialist Cargo Carriers has of late invested heavily into skills development and training.

In the 2018 financial year, the company’s apprenticeship programme attracted four diesel mechanics, who will significantly bolster the company’s existing team of highly competent technicians.

These critical skills fulfil a vital role in the company’s strict fleet-maintenance regime, which has helped reduce operating costs and the carbon footprint by lowering fuel consumption and prolonging truck-replacement cycles.

Meanwhile, the Cargo Carriers internship programme has been just as successful in attracting capable graduates to the company. Last year the programme focused on sourcing emerging talent to specifically bolster key industrial engineering, IT, finance and HR functions. Four resourceful graduates partook in this workplace training programme and they have all accepted full-time positions within the company.

Importantly, Cargo Carriers also identified a need to support its skills-development programmes with robust succession planning. In 2017, the company’s Development Coach Programme identified more than 20 senior employees, who will be groomed and coached to eventually occupy high-level management positions throughout the group.

At the same time, many enterprising employees have also been afforded the opportunity to raise their business acumen by completing NQF qualifications, including NQF Level 1 Business Practice, NQF Level 2 Business Administration and NQF Level 3 Project Management modules.

An unwavering commitment to health, safety and the environment has also meant that training in these areas has been firmly entrenched in the company over many years, and also remains on top of the agenda. These initiatives are complemented at an operational level by the ongoing training of drivers.

In 2017, Cargo Carriers again significantly strengthened its driver-training initiatives, with emphasis placed on sharpening defensive-driving skills and capabilities within the company. The course was well received by the drivers, many of whom also partook in other training programmes, including in the safe transportation of dangerous goods, basic firefighting, operating vehicle combinations and rollover prevention.

These initiatives are part of Cargo Carriers’ substantial investment into internal and external training and skills development programmes in the 2018 financial year, alone.