Honing the Craft

By Lori Musser

A multimillion-dollar turbine is carefully lowered into position on an energy utility’s site. It is on time and on budget and in tip-top condition even after having traveled thousands of miles by truck/rail/ship/barge and crossing several regulatory jurisdictions. Almost improbably difficult tasks like this are repeated all around the world every day, thanks to highly skilled global project cargo supply chain professionals.

In an industry with very little room for error, keeping up a steady stream of such talented professionals is an onerous responsibility, but one made easier by continually evolving and improving training, including on-the-job training such as apprenticeships.

To add value to any shipment requires immense transportation and logistics experience, coupled with specific cargo knowledge. While transportation and logistics programs are proliferating at post-secondary institutions, only so much can be taught in a classroom or online.

Jay Thomassen, director at global forwarder ATS International, said: “Not a lot of people know how to get a 240,000-pound combustion chamber from India to Kansas.” Fortunately, Thomassen said to Breakbulk, shadowing and apprenticing are available to help fill the talent gap, and to do so in a safe and effective way.

Training new project cargo logistics professionals is a challenge, especially in the U.S. While U.S. universities have an increasing number of logistics programs, few offer in-depth project cargo training. In the past, ATS has been able to bring on graduates from rigorous programs provided outside of the U.S. Germany’s DAV Bremen, for example, offers a two- to three-year advanced logistics program followed by a three-year internship that has produced exceptional candidates. However, evolving U.S.-entry requirements and Covid-19 have essentially eliminated that option, Thomassen said.

Today, ATS International uses a medley of training tools, primarily provided within the organization. “We look for entry-level folks coming out of a university-level logistics program. We have an ATS academy training program that teaches all the facets of our business, starting with the basics such as Incoterms and what they mean for a cargo move. We introduce cargo operations, which is foundational to project cargo logistics. We have a two-week introductory course, 90-day structured daily training routine, and an online learning hub,” Thomassen said. The hub is robust and includes blogs, case studies, videos and a wide range of communication tools and information.

“When you get into breakbulk and project cargo, it is special. Our training is comprehensive,” Thomassen said. ATS also includes various external logistics seminars and certifications in its training mix. Most importantly, “for a few hours each day, all the new recruits shadow experienced team members,” he said. “The learning never stops in this industry.”


On the Water

For thousands of years, mariners have been trained at sea. And while exceptional maritime academies now exist, the required knowledge base continues to grow, securing a place for a wide variety of complementary training methods, including seafaring apprenticeships.

Century-old Dutch multipurpose vessel operator Spliethoff still finds value in providing young people with maritime shadowing cadetships that emphasize “theory and practice.” The sneak peek at onboard work and life is an important recruitment tool – corporate videos promote cadetships at sea as a way to try on the lifestyle of a mariner for a few days before making a more permanent choice. It’s good outreach for the industry and a win for both the cadets and the employer.

Ingram Barge Co., a top U.S. inland waterway tug and barge operator, is an advocate of rigorous internal training programs. Katie Cronin, Ingram’s human resources business partner, said to Breakbulk: “As our current wheelmen and engineers retire, spots open for others to move into those roles. Associates who move through and graduate out of our internal Pilot Trainee and Junior Engineer programs have the benefit of learning the job on-site (while keeping their regular pay and schedule) with experienced, knowledgeable associates.” Costs are covered and the programs run up to 24 months and include off-site training relevant to the program.

Cronin said apprenticeships are an important part of Ingram’s succession planning. Their role has grown in the wake of pandemic-related staff shortages. “We began to see that our employee population decreased. As a result, it was more difficult to hire new associates and move them through the positions necessary … We are working to combat the shortage by placing focus on hiring experienced, external people who would be able to move up quickly and in return, not have to wait so long in order to be eligible for our [highly specialized] training programs,” Cronin said.

Despite hearty Covid-19 protocols, Ingram has found safe ways to allow the apprenticeship programs to continue. “When needed, we have implemented virtual trainings and created safe-distance, masked learning when in person,” Cronin said.


Role of Industry Associations, Organizations

Today, apprenticeships and other on-the-job training initiatives are almost always part of a bigger training package that may include programs by educational institutions, industry associations and others. Some are very specific, dealing with niche issues within project cargo logistics, such as route planning or trailer configuration. Some are very generalized, depending on the goals of the industry association.

For example, at U.S.-based Women in Maritime Operations, or WIMOs, an organization dedicated to retaining, advancing and promoting women in the maritime industry through sharing knowledge and continuing education, a strong webinar program has emerged since the advent of Covid-19. WIMOs Founder and CEO, Kasey Eckstein said web training began as a way to keep members engaged at a time when in-person events had to be cancelled. Since the start of Covid-19, WIMOs has offered a three-part leadership series, a three-part cultural intelligence series, as well as 17 other virtual events with subject matter experts.

Industry training initiatives that are tailored to need can expand dialogue with individuals who have parallel or divergent experiences, greatly enhancing the experience, Eckstein said to Breakbulk.

Cyril Joseph Varghese is global logistics director at Fluor Corp. He said that the talent gap issue in project logistics was a hot topic during Breakbulk Middle East. The dialogue focused in part on how to make logistics, as an industry, appeal to the younger generation and their novel and distinctive aspirations.

Varghese said the industry has to work harder at that and must “get creative to transfer knowledge from the experienced logistics professionals to the new generation.”

Varghese said more extensive and successful industry recruiting and knowledge transfer requires a new, better approach – a collective effort. If all partners in project cargo movements – shipping lines, heavy haulers, port authorities, freight forwarders, EPCs and owners – work together, the industry will be better able to grow the project logistics talent needed for the future. To that end, Fluor has increasingly engaged with logistics service providers to provide training related to EPC logistics.

While hands-on training has always been important in project cargo logistics, “it is high time we re-look at these formats,” which, Varghese said, boils down to creating a more complete training ecosystem where there are structured training programs working in tandem with “a slice of the industry.” He said it is time for apprenticeships to evolve. They need to be part of a package that recruits, trains and retains talent.


No Quick Fix

However, creating training ecosystems takes time. In a series of recent announcements, U.S. Jones Act maritime solutions provider, Crowley Maritime Corp., has begun a full-court press on workforce training for the developing U.S. wind energy industry.

Jennifer Sylva, Crowley’s manager of people development, said to Breakbulk: “To support the growth of the offshore wind industry, we have begun to establish training programs and curriculum, certified by the Global Wind Organisation, at various maritime academies and colleges around the U.S. These programs, in partnership with RelyOn Nutec, will enable the growth of a qualified workforce in the U.S. offshore wind industry, particularly in communities that may be underrepresented.” Working with government and higher learning institutions, the training programs will leverage Crowley’s hands-on experience in the energy sector.

“For example, at Massachusetts Maritime Academy we anticipate new programs to continue to grow to meet the demand for new jobs – the Biden administration anticipates 30,000 jobs will be created in offshore wind if the White House goal for project deployment is reached by 2030,” Sylva said.

Crowley is the largest employer of U.S. mariners, Sylva said, and an important supporter of the “sea term” offered by maritime academy partners. “Cadet shipping not only offers maritime students invaluable hands-on training prior to their graduation, it integrates industry exposure and work experience to support and develop the next generation of skilled mariners,” Sylva said. She noted an uptick in interest in internships across Crowley’s business units this year.

In 2021, Crowley endowed the University of North Florida with a US$2.5 million gift for the creation and operation of the Crowley Center for Transportation and Logistics, already deemed a landmark commitment to the growth and development of transportation and logistics talent.

Crowley’s sectoral approach to wind energy training and development may be a good test case for the project cargo logistics ecosystem concept.

Crowley’s offshore wind programs are in addition to an existing program of internships, rotational training, and on-the-job training for participants to explore opportunities, expand knowledge, and strengthen field experience across numerous business divisions.

Project cargo logistics expertise can’t be developed overnight. Apprenticeships and similar on-the-job training programs are being introduced and refined along the entire project cargo supply chain. They are being used to ensure continuity of talent and expertise, and can help transportation and logistics firms thrive in an era marked by talent shortages and rapidly evolving supply chain structures.  


Based in the U.S., Lori Musser is a veteran shipping industry writer.

Image credit: Ingram Barge Company