A Transport & Logistics sector day brought together industry and secondary school students ahead of the new programme launch.

Enrolments are now open for the New Zealand Certificate in Commercial Road Transport (Heavy Vehicle Operator) Level 3, which commences at Ara Institute of Canterbury‘s Timaru campus in late October.

The industry-led transport and logistics programme came about following substantial collaboration between local businesses, Ara and key organisations.

“Historically there has been a gap in the region, in the transport and logistics sector that offered a training and educational pathway for people to kick start their careers in this field,” says Alle McGrath, chief people officer at Hilton Haulage.

As chair of the new Transport & Logistics Group overseeing the initiative, McGrath is pleased with the outcomes.

“With the challenging nature of the licensing process, it has been difficult to provide opportunities in terms of ‘opening the doors‘ to people with little to no experience at driving trucks and operating forklifts. This programme now provides that opportunity for South Canterbury.”

The content of the 30-week programme came from industry partners and an industry panel will ensure the programme delivers the key skills, knowledge and competencies that industry expects.

Students gain their Class 2 licence on week two of the course, which means that they can hold their Class 4 licence by the time the course finishes. Students also gain their F endorsement, First Aid Certificate as well as many other key skills such as loading and unloading, risk management, route planning, dynamics and handling, customer service skills and fatigue management.

McGrath says other regions have had success in this area and they have spent time looking at their successes and learning from the programmes they have in place. She says the fact the industry has shown support in working with Ara to produce the programme suggests there is confidence it will deliver skilled and motivated drivers and operators.

Along with other transport operators, Hilton Haulage will be providing hands-on, practical, real-life work placement experience to students. Students will be required to complete a logbook for each day on the programme, whether they are in the classroom or out in the field.