Economic changes, development of logistics and logistics education in Poland
The changes that have taken place in recent years in the global economy and the emergence of new concepts in production management and organization (for example, lean management) have made logistics management an increasing challenge for enterprises. In turn, economic growth and the growing global trade exchange are causing a dynamic development of the transport services market. The constant pressure to reduce costs and the increasingly common tendency among enterprises to focus on core activities mean that transport and logistics functions are increasingly entrusted to specialized companies, which leads to a rapid increase in demand for all kinds of logistics and transport services. This is reflected in the strategy of transport and logistics companies, which, in the face of opening opportunities and growing customer expectations, are expanding their operations into new market segments (geographical and product) and are constantly developing their offer to provide customers with integrated logistics solutions tailored to individual needs. The role of Central and Eastern Europe as a location for production plants by European enterprises is also growing, and Poland – due to its importance in the region and geographical location – should be one of the greatest beneficiaries of this trend.
Along with economic growth and the development of this sector, there is a need for more and more employees with a logistics education. Logistics companies today face the risk of hiring employees who do not have sufficient qualifications, and consequently, they incur high costs for training. Following the growing demand for logistics education in Poland, more and more universities are launching courses and specializations related to this field. However, the labor market needs not only logisticians with higher education, but also secondary education. For this reason, a few years ago, a training program for the professions of logistics technician and freight forwarder technician was introduced in Poland, and secondary and post-secondary schools, seeing the market demand, willingly undertook education in this area.
Introduction of education in the professions of logistics technician and freight forwarder technician
The logistics technician and freight forwarder technician courses were introduced with great haste in response to growing market demand. However, the schools that undertook education in this area struggled with many problems. Teachers were often faced with the fact of conducting classes in previously unknown logistics subjects; they lacked knowledge and experience in this field. There were no textbooks prepared for teaching logistics in secondary schools on the market, nor were there any teaching aids. Teachers had many reservations about the curriculum. At the time these courses were introduced to secondary schools, the level of teaching left much to be desired.
Organizing and developing the level of education in the professions of logistics technician and freight forwarder technician became possible thanks to the program of the Poznań School of Logistics called “WSL for secondary schools”. Schools that provide education in this field were identified, and then, with the help of survey research, the problems faced by teachers were determined. A conference called the Teachers’ Forum was organized, which has been gathering teachers from all over the country once a year for 3 years. So far, some of the problems of secondary education have been organized and solved. Thanks to the cooperation of WSL with the Institute of Logistics and Warehousing, a series of textbooks for secondary schools was created.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 4/2009.