Logistics is a field for those who handle stressful situations perfectly, cope with great responsibility for the tasks entrusted to them, and are versatile. Above all, a logistician must possess economic and IT knowledge, know the principles of process management, understand the importance of information, and know foreign languages. Furthermore, they should be an excellent manager who not only thinks logically but is also able to foresee the consequences of their actions. Exaggeration? Not at all.
Logistics is the efficient planning and management of the flow of goods – from the sources of raw materials to the final recipient, while keeping in mind the appropriate quantity, quality, deadline, and maintaining the lowest possible costs. In short, the task of a logistician is to supply a company with everything necessary for its proper functioning. This is not just about forwarding or transport, but also about planning goods distribution systems and communicating with the market. Logistics is one of the few professions that will find employment in almost every company. Well-educated logisticians can work in supply, production planning and control, warehouse management, or transport, among other areas. Efficient logistics is needed by manufacturing companies, wholesalers, retail stores, hospitals, theaters, offices, and cities alike.
Logistics can be studied in full-time or part-time modes, in first-cycle and second-cycle degree programs. However, more important than the choice of study mode is the choice of university and the quality of education.
– The trend for logistics has caused logistics education to take on a mass character. And this makes it necessary to pay attention to what schools offer. Because education should be provided by schools and universities that have prepared, competent staff and laboratories, and that is not always the case. I observe a worrying phenomenon of shifting educational offers from fields that are no longer popular to logistics. Mass education means a mass influx of graduates into the labor market. The question is – what kind of graduates will they be? What are their chances of finding a job? – says Ireneusz Fechner, Chancellor of the College of Logistics in Poznań. – A graduate must have a good education supported by a good, recognizable diploma. A candidate for studies should think seriously before choosing a university that is to prepare them for the profession of a logistician. It should be remembered that economic logistics is a living matter. It is constantly developing and changing rapidly, adopting primarily technical innovations in the field of IT, communication, as well as organizational and technical solutions that increase mobility and operational efficiency. That is why specialists should provide the education – he adds.
Completing logistics at the first stage of studies, lasting six or seven semesters depending on the university, ensures obtaining a bachelor’s or engineer’s degree. Then, of course, one can continue education in master’s studies. Logistics is an interdisciplinary field, which is why the curriculum includes subjects such as mathematics, marketing, work psychology, IT, statistics, or law. In the second year, students choose a specialization. At the College of Logistics in Poznań, one can choose from, among others: “Logistics Investments and Real Estate”, “Logistics in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises”, “Quality Management”, “Occupational Health and Safety Management”, “Trade and Distribution Logistics”, “Eurologistics”, “Logistics Systems Engineering”, and “Transport Economics”.
The first logistics university in Poland is the College of Logistics, founded in 2001 by the Logistics Education Center and on the initiative of the Institute of Logistics and Warehousing. The appropriate level of education at WSL is guaranteed primarily by teaching staff with the best qualifications, as well as an innovative study program that develops according to market needs. The university authorities make every effort to ensure that WSL graduates are competitive in the labor market, not only domestically but also globally. Therefore, they place great emphasis on international contacts. Thanks to bilateral agreements signed with universities from nine European countries, WSL students use the Erasmus program to study abroad, and through cooperation with universities from Germany and the UK, they have the opportunity to earn double degrees in logistics. However, modern education is not just knowledge and academic contacts. It is also increasingly about contacts with the business world and the opportunity to learn logistics from the best. That is why WSL has been working closely with companies and institutions considered leaders in their industries since its inception. Among the Partners of the College of Logistics are over twenty companies with national and international reach, including: Kuehne+Nagel, Raben, Prologis, DHL Express, Panopa, Dachser, Mandersloot, Promag, Still, Agrobex, and others. Thanks to this cooperation, WSL students complete internships and professional placements, managers of these companies participate in guest lectures, and the university has the opportunity to continuously adapt study programs to changing market requirements.