A new training opportunity for unemployed young people living in and around the Mitchelstown area has been announced with the opportunity to develop skills and qualifications to progress to employment in the transport, logistics, distribution and warehousing sector.

Ballyhoura Development will deliver a Fetac Level 5 course in Logistics and Distribution in Mitchelstown from September. The course is funded by the Cork Education and Training Board under the Local Training Initiative.

The freight transport, warehousing, distribution and logistics sector is of great importance to the Irish economy with in excess of 7,500 enterprises employing over 50,000 people making it central to economic development. The sector is expected to continue to grow, which means increased job prospects across transportation, warehousing, distribution and customer service.

The programme in Mitchelstown will focus on developing key competencies across customer service, planning and organisation, problem solving, teamwork and technology. The modules to be delivered though the programme include Warehousing, Inventory Control, Purchasing, Freight Forwarding, Career Planning and Work Experience, Safety and Health at Work, Word Processing and Customer Service.

The aim of the programme is to enable the participants to acquire the knowledge, skill and competence to work across inventory, ordering and receiving goods and supporting a freight forwarding service in a range of logistics and distribution environments and contexts. The programme offers a work experience module to facilitate progression into work placement. This is a key aspect of the course and will offer a platform to engage with employers to create follow-on internships, work placements and full-time employment for course participants. The course will also include guest lecturers from industry experts to enable learners to engage with the industry and understand first hand the opportunities for further training, employment and progression.

Local Training Initiatives are designed to provide vocational training opportunities to assist people achieve awards on the National Qualifications Framework and to develop the capacity to progress to further training, education and work.

The Mitchelstown Logistics and Distribution Fetac Level 5 course presents opportunities primarily to people under 35 years of age, with no formal qualifications or incomplete secondary level qualifications. Anyone who is unemployed and over the age of 16 and those at any level of literacy, may be eligible to participate. If you are interested in a considering a career in logistics and distribution or if you’re just curious and you want to find out more about the possibilities of the Local Training Initiative, please contact Anisa Moynihan at the Ballyhoura Jobs Clubs on 063-20555.