Employment opportunities in port development
View(s):By Rohan Masakorala
CEO Shippers’ Academy Colombo (SAC) Asian opportunity
Asia is the fastest growing region in the world and continues to expand its logistics and supply chain industry. Intra-Asia trade is still growing whilst an economic slowdown is shown in other parts of the world. The next decade will increase demand for skilled jobs in many sectors related to global commerce as trade is said to expand further into Asian and African continents as the consumer market expands as forecasted by the world economic forum.
The development of the ports sector creates multiple layers of opportunity for government to create employment within the ports itself and in the hinterland connecting the ports with many value added services and operational activities that would support port and port services and the national economy. With the expansion of the Colombo port and Hambanthota in Sri Lanka, school leavers could be given career guidance to take up new and emerging job opportunities through proper training and open up new avenues for lucrative jobs in the logistics industry both in the public and private sector
Services and skills within ports
Within the ports, the skill areas that could be developed starts from the off shore operations and ship to shore operations and this would include handling of the ships itself, ships’ gear and ship services and loading and stevedoring services.
On the shore side, terminal operations/ management and stevedoring companies provide the immediate back end services to the port and to cargo owners, whilst the port itself provides overall assistance by way of management and linked services to the ship operators and other companies stationed within the port sector. Given the internal operations alone the opportunity to employ trained staff within a port area itself is considerable and the demand for such jobs exists all over the world as global trade expands.
These skills would include in areas of:
1. Terminal operators
2. Stevedoring companies
3. Dock yard services
4. Bunker companies
5. Tug & Pilot stations
6. Terminal & inter terminal trucking
7. Storage and distribution/free port activity
8. Removal and cleaning companies
9. Engineering & maintenance
10. General management services/security
These sectors will need clerical/supervisory staff to managerial/ director level skilled persons with semi skilled and technically qualified persons to manage and operate an effective port with the necessary knowledge in transport logistics and trade. Students who finish their O/L could be trained in the emerging profession in international shipping and logistics
In addition ports provide services to multiple types of ships, which require skills that differ from type of ship. As an emerging hub Sri Lanka would need expertise to handle and service the shipping market which caters to deferent demands and knowledge, such as to service:
1. Bulk carriers
2. Tankers
3. Container ships
4. Cruise ships
5. Ro/Ro
6. General cargo
The government can and should take initiatives to develop capacities of youth to move into these sectors, where locally and internationally there is great demand with well paid jobs available.
Beyond the Port
The opportunities are greater in the hinterland when a shipping hub is created. The service providers/users to the ports expand into multiple corridors in the hinterland of a port where the actual value added service expand in addition to core activities. They would include -
1. Shipping agents
2. Customs house brokers
3. Transport and consolidating companies 4. Warehouse and distribution companies
5 Container freight stations
6. Container yards/free zones
7. Freight forwarders and logistics companies 8. Ship suppliers 9. Crew operators 10. Exporters/Importers
Shippers’ Academy Colombo-SAC
Realising the need for a training institute to plug the gap between conventional business schools, training and shipper-related programmes, the Shippers’ Academy Colombo was established in 2011, to uplift and enhance skills and knowledge of the global commerce environment by providing capacity building programmes to large, medium and SME sector, where affordability and creative techniques are used as tools to plug in knowledge gaps and share knowledge.
The Shippers’ Academy Colombo was the first of its kind opened in South Asia. It was the first post conflict educational institute setup in Sri Lanka to promote capacity building in global commerce and logistics. Since its launch in 2011 the Academy, plays a pivotal role in the shipping industry locally as a unique training organisation which has developed short courses to develop capacities on the above areas of skills and has conducted the highest number of industry seminars in related fields which was not available before or fast reference knowledge top the trade.
The Shippers’ Academy completes two years of operations in Sri Lanka and will be expanding its courses in the coming years to meet the local and regional demands of the trade expansion.
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