The problem of creating new logistics degree programs at universities and drawing a clear line—especially for potential students—as to which of these programs are actually sensible, and where the hunt for tuition fees and the temptation of well-sounding, trendy study names begins, is not limited to our country alone.
The trend for logistics and the desire to identify with it seem to apply to all of Europe.
The logistics market, especially in the east, is experiencing a real boom. According to research and estimates by the German company Prognos, logistics will remain the engine of the economy until 2030, thanks to rapid development and innovation. This process will be further stimulated by On-Demand production, and consequently, by greater specialization, an increasing assortment, and the diversity of manufactured goods. However, logistics is still commonly associated only and exclusively with transport. Yet, this term has become a synonym for services offered from the moment of production, through trade, and even beyond. To address the topic of logistics education, one must answer the question: what is logistics today? A simplified definition is presented by the rule
Logistics is the binder of all the mentioned elements, in line with the common principle: “the customer is king.” Outsourcing has become a challenge for the logistics industry, but also an opportunity to gain a new, previously inaccessible profile of customers.
Innovations in logistics
How, then, to attract a pool of students to logistics who will be able to find their way in this difficult and demanding reality? How to provide companies with operational management forces? Motivated and competent staff are, after all, the key to a company’s success. This is of particular importance in regions where logistics is recording particularly high growth and where competition is so great that innovation is constantly needed to meet the challenges of the global market. An example of such a place is Hamburg, which, alongside Frankfurt am Main, is a leading logistics hub in Germany and Europe. Contrary to the general German trend, employment in the logistics industry in Hamburg continues to grow. There are 5,700 logistics and transport companies located in the city and its metropolitan area. By 2015, about 14,000 new jobs were expected to be created in this industry. This requires investment in the education of future employees. The reaction of schools and universities in Hamburg to the growing demand for logisticians was, of course, to create such programs. As a result, the city offers vocational education—dual, i.e., combined with practice in about 20 logistics-related professions, post-vocational training programs, and numerous degree programs at universities and colleges. To provide better orientation for future pupils and students, the Initiative – Logistics Hamburg, which is an information panel for the logistics industry in Hamburg and the metropolitan area, together with the Chamber of Commerce, created an information portal