Further and continuing education — what you can build on

A professional education is rarely the endpoint — it is a foundation you can build on for life. As a qualified port and terminal worker you have many paths to choose from depending on whether you want to specialize become a leader or pursue further study. Here is an overview of the options.

The most obvious form of further training is keeping your certificates and courses updated and taking more. Many certificates need renewing at regular intervals, and the more machines and tasks you have credentials for, the broader you can be deployed. Short, targeted courses for adults are an easy way to keep learning new things while you work.

• 01Multiple machine certificates — e.g. crane special lifting equipment or multiple vehicle categories
• 02More knowledge about dangerous goods and safe handling
• 03Courses in logistics, warehouse and terminal management
• 04Safety and work environment courses e.g. as a workplace safety representative
• 05IT and system courses for the programs the terminal is controlled with

You can also go deeper where you stand. Some become experts in a particular type of material or equipment, others in hazardous goods, in crane work, or in the IT control that makes a large terminal function. Being the one the team asks when something specific needs to be done right is a strong position.

With experience you can take responsibility for a team a shift or part of operations. Team leader foreman or planner are roles many skilled workers grow into. Here it helps to supplement the craft with management planning and communication — something you can take courses in along the way.

If you want to go further away from the quay and more into planning, management and technique, a skilled background can be a springboard to higher education — for example in transport, logistics or a technical-administrative field. Some paths require that you first supplement with certain subjects at a certain level and here courses for adults can help you meet access requirements.

The most important advice is to think of further education as something continuous not as one big leap. Take the courses your work opens up be curious about the parts of operations you can't yet do and talk to your employer and an education adviser about what fits your specific goals. That way you gradually build a stronger profile.

“Your professional education is not a ceiling but a floor to stand on — from there you can build as high as you want.”