Skills supply chain

“At Imperial Logistics, we believe that the right solutions and services are meaningless without skilled people to adopt, implement and support them,” comments CEO Marius Swanepoel. “Through the Imperial Logistics Academy, we aim to get the best from our people and help them get ahead, while advancing the supply chain and logistics industry as a whole.”

He adds that the Academy is the next natural step in the evolution of the group’s education and development efforts.

“Our multifaceted learning and development framework has garnered numerous accolades and awards over the years, including the SAPICS Corporate Educator of the Year award and the South African Graduate Recruiters Association’s Graduate Employer of Choice award,” explains Swanepoel.

“When we recognised the need to move to the next level and establish an accredited, in-house training facility to upskill our people, the Imperial Logistics Academy was born,” he adds.

According to Imperial, the academy provides customised, integrated training and development programmes that are aligned with national qualifications, as well as practical short courses to address specific skills development and career advancement needs.

“In addition, the academy enables graduates to enter the supply chain and logistics industry through graduate development and learnership programmes,” notes Swanepoel.

“A dedicated graduate development manager engages with higher education institutions, on a continuous basis, to reach graduates around the country. Guest lecturing is offered and the academy also participates in career days. A key strategy is to build a pipeline of graduates to feed into the internships and bursary schemes at Imperial Logistics,” he adds.

Swanepoel points out that staff at Imperial Logistics contribute to content development, and offer guest lecturing and mentorship. “This means that skills are transferred internally, within the group, and externally to develop the broader supply chain industry.”