WIREDGOV

The Award Winning Innovation Code is now helping the Shipping Industry.

ITS Training Limited works with the shipping and international trade industry’s professional organisations to offer valid, recognised and relevant courses relating to international trade.

ITS offer a Commercial and Overseas Shipping Training Course (COAST) which provides industry specific training.  They wanted to roll the course out to local unemployed adults, but it was not eligible for public funding.  Through the Innovation Code, they are now able to offer it to unemployed learners, drawing down funding whilst working with an awarding organisation to develop a QCF qualification.

ITS have also been able to build in employability elements within the course, so that it both meets a specific employment need and is tailored for the learner.  ITS have worked with JCP to develop these elements and are now working with their tenth cohort of learners and trained over 110 students, with one in three gaining employment during the training.

Paul Williams, from Santandar said:

“I think this type of learning is very relevant to my job. I find it much better than reading books as I apply what I learn on a day to day basis” He found his new job, which included international finance, after completing the COAST qualification. “I have found the course invaluable and much more relevant to my career.  Customers both importers and exporters benefit from this knowledge. It is an excellent course and ITS are excellent trainers”

ITS have used its strong links with employers engaged in the import and export trade to develop the content of the course. These include large employers such as Crane Building Services and Utilities, Alliance Shipping Group, Allport Freight, BAT, MSC shipping as well as local SMEs. ITS have also been working closely with Job Centre Plus to develop the pre-employment units.

Paul Jenkins, from Crane Building Services and Utilities Limited said:

“I have found the Coast Course to be invaluable in giving me an overview of the Import Export process. The content is ideally pitched for those like myself who don’t work in a shipping office or transport office but have a need to gain an understanding of the supply chain.

“The classroom learning is extremely helpful as I was able to ask questions and take part in discussions with other students who were from local shipping companies.

“The course has introduced me to an area of supply chain that I didn’t know very much about but I have now discovered that it’s an area that I want to learn much more about and it has helped me tremendously with the current project”

ITS is now in discussions with DP World and UKTF to expand COAST (commercial and overseas shipping training) to the new London Gateway port and we hope it will provide education and training to attract existing and new people to  exciting careers available in international trade and logistics.

For more information on the Innovation Code, please see the How to use the Innovation Code 2013-2014.