Managing education
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• The International Institute of Logistics Management, based in Paris, set itself several training objectives at its sixth general assembly last week.
It is planning to establish a top-level training scheme for executives involved in logistics and it is preparing the ground for a masters degree in logistics management. Training seminars, technological research and "consultancy operations" with member firms will also be established.
Both schemes will be open to all European companies. Membership of the IILM includes top transport names such as United Transport Logistics in Britain, Bouygues in France, and Galencia of Switzerland.
Transport degree courses are already available in the UK. Household names such as TNT regularly recruit graduates from these. And earlier this year a new company called Logistics Training International was formed to help firms face up to to two future recruitment obstacles: the Single European Market and a predicted 28% drop in young people entering the workforce in 1993.
Several transport companies have already welcomed the new training initiatives from the I1LM. George Chadfield, director of human resources for Heron Distribution, says: "Any development that increases the range of qualifications available to distribution professionals is welcome: particularly from an organisation with European credibility.
"Such qualifications would be rated highly for the purpose of recruitment. Other things being equal (such as experience, education and the results of psychometric tests) candidates with such qualifications would be preferred."
F:xel Logistics agrees. Its parent firm NFC already recruits almost 100 graduates a year into its transport network.
Marketing manager David Buck says: "Anything increasing education and training is good for this industry. And anyone with a masters degree in logistics we would want to talk to."
But some companies and associations have expressed reservations. The Road Haulage Association says: "Training is important. However, if it is aimed at transport executives there might be a problem of people get t irg time off."