The Covid-19 crisis is forcing logistics companies to reassess their training strategies, resulting in surging interest in online and virtual learning.

ITI has 12 training centres in North America where people can be taught to use new equipment.

There has never been greater interest in online training. “The use of our online maritime training system went up dramatically,” said Raal Harris, managing director of elearning training provider Videotel. “There was a massive spike but the trend was already moving to more online training. In a sense, coronavirus just accelerated something that was going on at quite a pace already.”

He believes the crisis will force a lot of people to reappraise their training strategies. “Until we get a vaccine, we will get flare-ups, and even if they do not [find a vaccine] people will want a fallback position. Those who were dabbling in online are now being forced to look at it more. In the same way businesses see that home working can be good – people are looking at it with fresh eyes.”

Videotel’s training catalogue pro vides nearly 1,000 titles for The Standards of Training, Certification & Watchkeeping (STCW) Code and it produced a ‘Learning in Lockdown’ webinar to help its customers and others work out how to deliver more of their training online.

Harris believes that education is still based on a traditional models designed in ancient Greece “but if those guys had had today’s options, would they have developed it that way? Probably not.”

He pointed out that the legislation related to qualifications is also based on classroom learning and some will need to be changed.

… the trend was already moving to more online training. In a sense, coronavirus just accelerated something that was going on at quite a pace already. – Raal Harris, Videotel

For instance, legislation sometimes stipulates that there needs to be a certain amount of classroom time as part of the course. “They say that the classroom is ‘interactive’, but we say e-learning is as well, so the criteria should be interactive not contact time.

“We believe that the focus should be on what you are trying to achieve and then you choose the method – and do not reinvent the wheel. The future is likely to be multichannel and the collaborative tools are amazing. E-learning does require an upfront investment but it is repeatable and scalable.”

Classroom learning

Christina Lanham, managing director at Industrial Training International (ITI) UK, agreed that the trend to online learning is growing but said there are still some real advantages to classroom-based training.

“We have 12 training centres in North America and when people go to a centre, they get away from their normal work environment, so there are fewer distractions and they can concentrate more. The centre will probably also have new equipment that students can be taught to use, and we can all gain knowledge from watching others go through the training process. It can help people think about their work in ways they have not before.”

Having said that, she is a fan of online learning, including virtual training. “Online learning allows people to do it at a time that is convenient to them and at their own pace – which can be especially helpful for people who have English as a second language.

“Some trainees have different skillsets and do not necessarily do well in a classroom, so it is better for them to be able to do it on their own. They can email an instructor to ask questions. Of course, this means they do not get real-time feedback, but it gives them more time to learn the material and for some, this is the better option.”

Lanham said that virtual reality training is a great extension to in-person learning – for the trainee as well as the company. “A crane is an investment and needs to be working, so if it is used for training, there is always a lot of pressure on time.

“But when you put a trainee on a simulator, they have more seat-time to work out what to do – we really see the difference when someone has more time to learn and understand. And, of course, there is less maintenance and the simulator is less expensive to run than the real thing.

“Also, you can test people to critical failures, for instance, significant wind, load fail or crane fail, that you can never do on a real crane.”

Online learning allows people to do it at a time that is convenient to them and at their own pace – which can be especially helpful for people who have English as a second language. – Christina Lanham, ITI UK

Online surge

Lanham came to the UK in March 2019 to set up the ITI subsidiary in Birmingham. “We wanted to come to Europe and thought we had the best synergy with the industry in the UK, so we will use it as a building block into Europe, initially promoting online and virtual reality (VR) products.”

Although the coronavirus crisis has delayed a planned workshop, like Videotel, ITI has seen a huge surge in interest in online learning over the last six months.

“We launched a lot of webinars, doing video-conference classroom style in real time. We did certification preparation, lift planning and inspection courses – both general and some for specific customers so we could work collaboratively to develop the programme for their people.

“We think it is quite valuable and will continue after the coronavirus crisis. It will also help us with our plans to expand out of North America.”

She warned though that the certification requirements or methods of working are not necessarily universal. “You need to be aware of local standards and regulations. Even in Canada – and in different provinces – there are different requirements. And, for instance, the UK and EU calculate sling angles differently than in the USA – and of course, you use metric and the USA is imperial measurements. I do not think there are huge divergences, but you have to know the rules.”

Essential workers

The ITI Texas training centre has stayed open during most of the Covid-19 crisis to ensure people can be re-certified and maintain their qualifications to meet the regulations. “Trainees were considered essential workers so needed to maintain their qualifications,” Lanham explained. “You can do a socially distanced written exam and the examiner is not in the crane cab when the assessment is done in any case.”

The issue of certification and valid qualifications arises in every mode, with the movement of dangerous goods by air as a case in point.

The employer should give the employees returning to work time to reacquaint themselves on what they need to do and then have it reviewed by a peer or supervisor. – David Brennan, IATA

The civil aviation authorities of more than 50 states issued exemptions extending recurrent dangerous goods training validity, explained David Brennan, assistant director, cargo safety and standards at the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

“But they are recommending that employers should verify competence, for instance on the job or through a questionnaire, so they know that employees can do the job properly.

“This is especially important when an employee has been stood down for several weeks or months. The employer should give the employees returning to work time to reacquaint themselves on what they need to do and then have it reviewed by a peer or supervisor.”

ITI warns that certification requirements and methods of working are not necessarily universal

Certification extensions

Civil aviation authorities have extended current certifications by three or even six months but Brennan believes they may have to be extended indefinitely.

“So, we need to look at alternatives to either verify that the employee still has a competent level of understanding of the application of the regulations or that some type of recurrent training is done.

“If the day-to-day job involves handling dangerous goods, then the worker is not likely to lose competence, but if he or she is coming back from furloughs, it is a realistic expectation that they do some kind of training before going back.

“Companies are looking at more online, Zoom, web-based methods – and it is already happening to some extent. But we need a broader push to look at ensuring employees are still competent.”

Jason Dickens of Rockbottom Consulting, a specialist recruitment agency in the heavy lift and project forwarding sector, believes the damage done by lockdowns – and subsequent fall in oil prices – will result in the loss of many skilled workers.

“I am afraid that we will see another massive round of redundancies a s we did following the economic crisis in 2008 and during the falling oil prices between 2014 and 2016.”

He admitted that, while it is a great industry to be in for the variety and challenges, heavy lift and project forwarding is a “volatile job market even in the best of times. A project comes to an end and there is not necessarily another one for skilled workers to transition into. This makes it difficult for employers to retain and develop their people. Due to talent shortages and budget, employers do always make the maximum effort to retain their people. However, this is becoming more and more difficult to do.”

Due to talent shortages and budget, employers do always make the maximum effort to retain their people. However, this is becoming more and more difficult to do. – Jason Dickens, Rockbottom Consulting

Talent shortages

He added: “Talent is in short supply globally and, overall, project forwarders demonstrate high competencies with transferable skills. This is dangerous as other more consistent industries such as construction have taken advantage of this as they can offer stability, plus progression and training – it could be hard to get people back into our industry once conditions improve.”

One change he has seen over the years is the emphasis on hiring more local people. “In the past, certain project locations have been dominated by expat talent. However, during the last few years these locations – due to efforts in training and the active pursuit of securing local skillsets – have transitioned into markets driven by local content.

“This is very good news for the future of the industry. Locations such as Saudi Arabia, the Caribbean and Mozambique hold so much potential and I am seeing increased levels of local talent in these areas.”

One way of ensuring local people gain the right knowledge is to run apprenticeship schemes offering both theoretical and practical knowledge, said Ralf Grosskopf of Düsseldorf-headquartered freight forwarder Dako Worldwide Transport.

“We recruit them when they finish high school at 18 or 19 years old. They sign an apprenticeship contract and then spend three or three-and-a-half years getting a BA in logistics management.

“They spend three months in the business, three months in university, three months in the business and so on. We also get them to come into the office one day a week during their time at university, which helps them maintain social contact. It keeps them in touch with the people and the business. This is very important to the way the system works. Otherwise at the beginning of each three months we lose a lot of time as they get used to everything again.”

The recruits are paid an apprenticeship wage and Dako pays for their university fees. “They are asked to stay in the business for at least two or two-and-a-half years once they graduate, but if they leave earlier they have to reimburse the company for part of what we advanced. But our system builds loyalty and gives them what they need.”

This article has been taken from the August/September 2020 edition of HLPFI.