Each project arrives with its purpose, milestones and first tasks written out. Here is how the first three read.
Mapping logistics, shipping and port job families
Logistics is not one job but a cluster: warehouse operative, freight forwarder, customs broker, shipping agent, terminal planner, transport dispatcher and supply chain planner all sit under the same word. Laying them side by side, with what each does on an ordinary Tuesday, the entry route and the usual shift pattern, lets you aim at a role rather than at an industry.
First tasks
- List the logistics, shipping and port employers within an hour of home
- Write one line on what each of seven job families does day to day
- Ask someone working in logistics which roles hire beginners locally
- Circle two job families and write down your first target role
School subjects and entry qualifications for logistics
Most entry roles ask for passes in Mathematics and English, and employers notice business subjects. In the Caribbean that means CSEC Mathematics, English A and subjects such as Principles of Business or Principles of Accounts, with CAPE Logistics and Supply Chain Operations or a CVQ in warehousing for those who stay on; elsewhere the equivalents are GCSEs, A levels, BTECs or a high school diploma.
First tasks
- Save five entry-level logistics adverts and copy out their requirements
- List your results or predicted grades beside each requirement
- Check the current CAPE or CVQ logistics options with your school or training provider
- Book a resit or course for any missing Mathematics or English pass
Shadowing a day at a port, warehouse or forwarder
Shift noise, the heat in a warehouse at two in the afternoon, the pace of a freight desk on a vessel day: none of it shows up in a job advert. Spending a day, or even a morning, alongside someone in the role you are aiming at tells you whether you would enjoy it and gives you something real to say at interview.
First tasks
- Ask your school, college or network who runs logistics site visits
- Email two employers asking to shadow someone for half a day
- Write notes on the tools, pace and conditions within a day of the visit
- Send a thank-you message to your host
