Select Page

Short courses or full degree? Logistics can help you start a completely new career

Short courses or full degree? Logistics can help you start a completely new career

By Logan Fransman, Director of the Namibian German Centre for Logistics at the Namibia University of Science and Technology

The end of the year is upon us and now is the opportune time to take a moment to take stock of what you have achieved throughout the year. Did you get that promotion, did you master the subjects you were studying and are you happy with how the year turned out?

One promise people always make, well, might as well call it a New Year’s Resolution, is to study more, acquire knowledge and get the promotion you were hoping for. However, obtaining a tertiary degree is costly, time-consuming and requires a multi-year commitment.

There are however ways to improve your prospects within your organisation that don’t require huge commitments in time and money. One of these is through enrolling in short-term courses.

Doing a series of short courses, or even one that is at least recognised by the relevant industries, is a real and viable option. So, how do you manage and control your own personal development. When working in an accounting, human resources or a manufacturing position for example, what good is it to acquire extra knowledge in a field you know little to nothing about?

Take logistics for example – the bedrock of almost any organisation. Without the movement of goods or services that the organisation produces, the whole company collapses. This movement of goods has to be carried out as smoothly and as efficiently as possible. The accounting department demands it from a budgetary point of view, marketing needs it as a unique selling proposition and HR requires it, as there’s only a fixed number of people to move the goods.

So, swiftly, efficiently, economically and effectively moving goods is the name of the game. Adding to your bow a short course in logistics and understanding the flow of goods and how this impacts every facet of a business is highly recommended.

The Namibia University of Science and Technology together with the Namibian German Centre for Logistics offers a Certificate in Logistics and Transport , as well as an Advanced Diploma in Logistics and Transports, or a Warehouse and Stock Management course, as well as many others.

Combined or separately, these courses offer either a holistic approach to the field of logistics, or a more in-depth look at a specific aspect of the logistics sector.

When you’re working a full-time job, it’s hard to commit to full time study, and a full degree in logistics might be a bridge too far. Completing the course you start successfully is what it is all about. This is where Namibian German Centre for Logistics offers the perfect solution with their short courses.

Logistics can and is taught through understanding processes, theory and especially ‘best practises’ and case studies. These short courses are especially geared to teach in this way. As a Centre of the Namibia University of Science of Technology and facilitated by the German Development Service (DAAD), the courses are certified and give the student the necessary boost in logistics. The courses also provide a concept called Continuous Professional Development, something that we all need to be aware of and embrace, in an ever-changing and dynamic world.

If you’re going to invest time in career advancement, especially here in Namibia, it is important to ensure you sign up for an NQA recognised course. Spending your own money or the company’s revenue on courses needs to be worth it. It also helps in general to sign up for courses that receive industry recognition. Ideally, you want to graduate with a certificate or other qualification widely recognised in your industry. The Logistics Centre works together with industry logistics leaders to ensure that it offers courses tailor-made for the industry and therefore useful in practical working life.

Whether you’re looking to brush up your skills, apply for a promotion or embark on a total career change, a logistics short course or even a full logistics degree can help you reach your goals. A qualification in logistics really gets your career moving in the coming year and it can be the New Year’s resolution the Logistics Centre can help you stick to.


 

 

About The Author

Logan Fransman

The Namibian-German Centre for Logistics (NGCL) is an all-in-one excellence institute, combining education, research and consulting in logistics. It is an institute at The Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). The Centre is based on cooperation between The Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) and Flensburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany. Both institutions have gained an excellent reputation in the field of applied research, education delivery and economics. The project is part of the "African Excellence" initiative, funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) as part of the "AktionAfrika" programme.