1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148 
profit from
Page 90
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
learning byJohnny Johnson
Is the industry ready for keen young managers?
NO matter how fiercely the flame of ambition burns, it can be quelled by frustration. And frustration is what a large number of students and ex-students feel in the road haulage industry according to those I have spoken to this week. "Transport is not ready for us" was the disturbing comment by more than one ex-student. Disturbing because the probability is that, lacking encouragement, they will find another, more rewarding, field leaving road haulage the poorer.
Perhaps the experience of one of them who has recently completed a three-year sandwich transport course will serve to illustrate what they mean.
The first frustration of which my young student friend complained began during the course. More than one student considered the course was unevenly planned and that the third year left time on their hands though the first two years were onerous and too exacting. Suggestions about this and other tutorial matters were not well received, to say the least, and relations between teachers and taught became somewhat strained. The feeling among students on the course was that the tutorial staff were living in an ivory tower removed from the realities of the joh. Nor were they prepared to listen to others, some of whom, young though they might be, had had some practical experience in real transport operation.
Despite the difficulties which arose, the students seemed to have benefited from their studies. Confident of their up-to-date knowledge and newly acquired skills they have since sought or secured jobs in the industry. That is where their next frustration began.
No experience They now find themselves in the "chicken or egg" situation of being qualified but having little or no experience. The consequence is that they consider that they are regarded with suspicion by their seniors.
Some of them suspect that the reason why they are discounted or even ignored altogether is that their seniors do not know as much about the subject as they do. It is difficult to decide which of them feels worse off, those who cannot obtain employment because they lack experience though holding qualifications or those who have obtained employment but are not allowed to exercise the skills which they have obtained.
Making allowances for the well-known impetuosity of youth and its irritability with what it regards as old-fashioned conservative methods, I feel that they might well have a point.
Perhaps the situation arises through lack of communication between senior management and new appointees. It is not sufficient to employ a newly qualified management trainee and tell him at first meeting that he will in time become a valuable member of the management team. He must be kept aware of this by being given worthwhile tasks.
On the other hand, the new man should realise that lack of experience is a drawback, and remain patient till time has remedied the deficiency.