In times gone by, graduates and general school leavers joined the industry in the first instance to learn about the product. They would spend several years moving between departments, gaining knowledge and generally grasping the concepts that international logistics are based on. They would work in both import and export environments and become conversant with airfreight, ocean freight, UK haulage, European transport, warehousing and the legalities governing letters of credit and the like. In due course, they would come to understand why things were done in a certain way and what to do when a problem occurred.

As technology progressed, more emphasis was put on computer programs at the expense of people. Graduates and school leavers then joined the industry and were generally slotted into a position to carry out a function that the system demanded. In time the system began to rule the staff and the staff became slaves to the system. This may sound like science fiction but it is a reality. How often do you speak to someone (not just in our industry) and when questioned they reply that the computer does not show the answer - full stop? They are more than pleased to answer your questions as long as the answers are given to them at the time. However, if individual thought is required, you have no chance of getting an intelligent response. At TLI we employ an equal number of male and female: young and older staff. Today we have five staff members with over twenty-five years of logistics experience each and a further eleven with in excess of ten years experience.

We also employ school leavers and older trainees. When they commence their employment with us, they know it is for the long haul and that they will have to spend several years learning. When they have completed this apprenticeship, only then can they specialize in one specific discipline of the industry. In the last six months, we have employed four new trainees who are currently undergoing "on the job training." In addition, at their own request, they are attending college courses to develop their own individual area of expertise.

Many of our competitors profess to use the same training methods but do they? At TLI, the Directors of the company are hands-on and they each have three roles. The first is to determine and implement the corporate strategy. The second is to fill an existing operational role so that they stay abreast with any changes and the third is to train and jointly innovate with the trainees. It is worth considering exactly what the Directors of some of our competitors do. Many of them are financiers who have never typed a delivery note in their lives and their major role is to generate enthusiasm for prospective share purchasers. Others have lived in a corporate Ivory Tower for so long that they are unaware of what goes on in the industry. With this in mind, one could ask, "Exactly who teaches the teachers?"