This is the view of Mario Landman, newly appointed Academic Head of the Institute of Logistics and Supply Chain Management (ILSCM) - a division of the Open Learning Group (OLG).
Having garnered a variety of skills in the adult education sector, including curriculum development, education sector research and programme accreditation, Landman says that it's become his responsibility "to heighten our visibility amongst the myriad of professional bodies spanning the logistics, freight and warehousing sectors."
The evolution of the ILSCM in the market takes place against the backdrop of the latest CSIR State of Logistics Report (2012), which cites that Africa currently only contributes 5% of global GDP, while logistics costs as a contribution to South Africa's GDP grew by a remarkable 0.8% to 12.8% between the beginning of 2011 and the end of 2012.
Landman comments that despite this encouraging local outlook, there are still challenges facing the development of the sector across Africa, in terms of a lack of foreign investment.
This situation is further exacerbated by statistics from the Skills Demand List of 2013, which recorded a demand for 132,000 positions in the logistics industry.
"The market is growing in tandem with skills shortages in major industries such as teaching, nursing and engineering. We see one of our key roles as addressing the gaps that currently exist in those skills brackets," says Landman.
The ILSCM therefore aims to offer quality assured, academic programmes that provide a more holistic solution incorporating broader, academic and non-academic student support. As such, Landman has two clear mandates in mind, namely the expansion of the support that the ILSCM offers its students and the publication of more formal and informal research.
This approach is based on the realisation that engaging with companies and professional bodies utilising a business-to-business (B2B) strategy, will be a focus going forward. This way, the ILSCM can support businesses in developing their workforce skills and competence on a group scale level.
