August 20, 2003
NZ MARITIME SCHOOL MOVES TO MEET DEMAND FOR LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORT
COURSES
Demand for skilled management-level employees within the logistics
and transport industry has led the New Zealand Maritime School
to introduce full time graduate training programmes at its
downtown Auckland campus this year.
“We recognised that the industry has become increasingly
sophisticated over the last decade and that the area of logistics
is now a more prestigious career choice,” says senior lecturer
for the programme at the school, Julian Joy.
“Our
move to a full time option this year, and away from the correspondence
graduate training programmes we previously
offered, reflects this trend and the change is proving popular.
We have our maximum roll of 20 people on the programme this semester.”
He says the
courses are aimed mainly at people already working in the logistics
and transport industries who want to advance
into senior management positions, but also at graduates from
other disciplines who wish to obtain industry-specific knowledge.
In addition the programme accepts graduates from the Maritime
School’s Diploma in Shipping & Freight, who wish to
advance to a more senior level of study.
“Many of our students are destined for very senior roles
within an industry that is a fundamentally crucial element in
New Zealand’s economic future.
“Some
of the students on the full-time programme have also been officers
or masters at sea and are already well qualified
for some aspects of management roles.
“They
have very good training and experience at sea, but they recognise
they
need the next level of education in the specifics
of the business from an on-shore perspective, so they can make
a successful transition into a management career.
The graduate programme in freight logistics has attracted considerable
interest from overseas over the past few years, with the school
each year hosting several groups of German students who have
come to New Zealand to take the course.
The programme, and individual courses within it, has been accepted
by several German universities, which means that it counts as
a direct credit towards their degree programmes. Students see
the international experience as an added bonus.
The Graduate Certificate in Freight Logistics is linked into
the IATA and FIATA Freight Forwarding diploma programmes, which
adds another layer of potential benefit for those taking the
course.
The New Zealand Maritime School has also broadened its scope
in other areas in recent years.
In addition to its Auckland campus achieving recognition as
a centre of excellence in maritime training, the school is now
exporting its expertise to the greater Pacific region.
Recent achievements in its run of overseas successes are contracts
to review and audit the NZAID programme at the Kiribati Maritime
Training Centre, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s
(SPC) regional maritime legal and training programme.
The school’s director, Captain Tim Wilson, says the contracts
are an acknowledgement that the school’s standards and
capabilities have made it a leading maritime institution within
the Asia Pacific region.
Over the past two years the school has won other hotly-contested
contracts to upskill more than 1400 people living in South Pacific
countries, as part of an international programme aimed at bringing
shipping standards within the Pacific into line with the latest
international maritime standards and practices.
Captain Wilson says interest in maritime training is increasing,
with the school now accepting over 3000 enrolments each year
and offering 105 different scheduled courses in addition to its
overseas training roles.
The New Zealand Maritime School, part of the Manukau Institute
of Technology, has been involved in maritime training since 1924,
and has taught shipping business courses for shore-based management
for many years.
For further information:
Captain Tim Wilson
Director, New Zealand Maritime School
Telephone: 09 379-4997
