Full Support To The Future Logisticians From Istanbul University Faculty Of Transportation

Istanbul University Faculty of Transportation and Logistics Lecturer Assoc. Dr. Ebru Demirci:

“THE COOPERATION OF TWO IMPORTANT INSTITUTIONS WILL MAKE A GREAT CONTRIBUTION TO THE INDUSTRY”

“THE PROJECT WAS BUILT TO PROVIDE SPECIALIZING EDUCATION”

Starting her speech by mentioning that the Young UND Academy has developed the Future Logistics Experts Certificate Program as Istanbul University Faculty of Transport and Logistics, together with the International Transporters Association, Demirci said that; “We created it together with UND. The program is designed to improve the experience of people who have started to have new experience in this field and who have undergraduate or associate degree education in different fields, by teachers in a more scientific environment.”

“We Designed Pre-Training for People Who Want to Work in the Sector”

Indicating that there are more than 30 courses in this program, Demirci stated the details of the program's content and said that; “On the one hand, UND collected requests for training from people who are already working in the sector it has designated as Young UND. We designed some lessons in line with the feedback from the students in our faculty. On the other hand, personal development and communication, on the other hand, we added courses that reflect the experience of the sector, such as insurance or road transport, to the training program. We have designed preliminary training to cover many topics in this field for people who have a certain work experience, but who are just starting out and who want to work in the sector, who want to specialize more in the field working in the sector. The content of the training is very broad and comprehensive. The feedback from the first training we gave within this wide range was very positive. Because we tried to provide information in every field from warehouse to insurance, from customs to transportation modes. Of course, some information was related to the participants' own fields of practice, and some of them consisted of subjects that they were interested in within their vision, even if not at the moment. Due to the large number of courses, the training can be carried out over a long period of time. We provide training two days a week. As the participants continue in their business life, we tried to reduce the intensity of the lesson. In order to increase efficiency, we tried not to give the lessons too intensely. We made a nice mixed program with the trainers of UND and the trainers at our university.”

“The Project Was Created to Provide Specialized Training”

Stating that UND determined the criteria and that a pool was created from people aged 18-35, who have a certain industry experience or for whom company managers give references, Demirci stated that UND is already preparing for this pool and is negotiating with the university about what kind of project they will do. Demirci, who pointed out that the project was based on providing a specialist training, said that; “We received the requests and listened to what kind of training they wanted. Afterwards, there was a very intense demand from our students of the Faculty of Transport and Logistics. There is no precedent for such a training in the industry. We also included some of our students in the team, so it became an education that appeals to a wide audience. We do our lessons online. That's the beauty of education. We are doing it on a platform where the participants can join from home, where our teacher talks live. They can watch the videos afterwards and there is serious material involved.”

As a University, We Try to Keep Curriculum Up-to-Date According to the Needs of the Industry

Stating that additions were made to the course topics in the program in line with the demands and the needs of the sector, Demirci said that; “We are trying to make more practical programs. For example, we designed a one-month program where the practice is done in the company. While we were giving the theoretical training online, the student did his practical training within the company within the sector. As a university, we try to keep the curricula updated according to the needs of the sector.

“We Created a Strong Program with Both UND and Our Students”

Adding that there is information on all modes of transportation in the training program, Demirci explains that they created their curriculum to cover many areas such as customs, insurance processes, personal development, communication techniques, e-commerce, combined transportation and sustainable logistics, as well as more numerical courses such as optimization and routing, and models used by the industry. Demirci said in her speech that; “Education is very broad and comprehensive; however, we also provide different training in such a way that the trainees can develop their expertise according to their field of interest. For example, we explain e-commerce for 2 hours, but if there is someone who is very interested, we guide it in a way that it can support it with a different certificate program. The Young UND Certificate Program was a very good project for the industry to get to know us and for our integration with the industry. I think we have created a strong program with both UND and our students. Of course, the program is always updated within itself. It is a very important and comprehensive industry. Currently, it is one of the most important sectors producing services. It is an indispensable sector that is a one-to-one supporter of the manufacturers.”

“A Program Will Be Open to All Young People Working in the Field of Logistics”

Stating that there are trips abroad within the scope of the project and that these trips are mostly organized by UND, Demirci also draws attention to the fact that this will be a program that will allow the participants to see the application areas on a large scale. Demirci stated that; “Currently, the program is designed for Young UND members, but in the next stage, it will be a program that will be open to all young people working in the field of logistics. The cooperation of two important organizations in this sense will make a great contribution to the sector. We are trying to provide a macro-scale training so that the person can both update himself and have the vision to follow different functions in many fields.”

 “The Industry Needs Someone To Create The Dynamic Between The Customer And The Developer”

Drawing attention to two important points that are necessary for the logistics industry, Demirci emphasizes that analytical thinking skills should be formed first, and that this feature is an important feature sought in people who will work in the logistics industry, and that knowing a foreign language is a mandatory requirement of the industry. Defining the logistics industry as a sector that requires social awareness, Demirci made the following assessment: "Do we need to learn a programming language?" We get returns. The industry already has software developers who write computer programs. The industry needs a person who will create the dynamic between the customer and the software developer. This person should be good in both customer relations management and human relations management and have the capacity to analyze well. Our biggest recommendation to people who will work in the sector, especially after the pandemic, is to socialize. What we do today is manage team, people and customers. There is an individual in all of them. The industry needs more dynamic teamwork, employees who dominate the processes and individuals who solve problems. Because logistics has emerged as a problem-solving sector at the moment. We also experienced this during the pandemic period. He responded to every problem he encountered with an incredibly fast, dynamic and agile maneuver. And that came with its dynamism.”

“We Are Always Together With The Industry”

Demirci pointed out that there are many young people who want to work in the sector even though their field is not in this sector, and states that this training is a good program design for them as well. Stating that as a university, they want to support the sector with more programs and that they have serious studies, Demirci said that; “We are trying to increase the professional quality of the sector with these certificate programs and additional trainings. The industry has a serious need today, from driver training to blue-collar and white-collar trainings. We, as the university side of the sector, will try to prepare training programs that meet this need with more professional standards and fulfill the expectations in this sense. We are always together with the sector.”