Lock, stock and a degree in logistics

When a big band such as U2 has a concert abroad, somebody, somewhere has to plan the arrangements so that all of their gear, the seating, stage equipment and all other various requirements are packed into big lorries and dispatched wherever the gig is being held. Then everything has to be assembled and dismantled.

The generic term for all these duties is logistics, explains Robbie Burns, head of the school of management in the DIT faculty of business.

This year, the certificate in transport management at Dublin Institute of Technology has been replaced by a four-year honours degree in transport and logistics, because students these days want to get to degree level. "They are screaming in the industry for qualified people. Because we are an island nation we are absolutely dependent on, obviously, logistics - you know, all the big lorries that have to cross the sea," says Burns.

An intake of 40 students is expected this autumn. At least grade C3 in two higher-level subjects and at least grade D3 in 4 ordinary or higher-level subjects is needed to qualify for a place. Subjects must include English, Irish, and mathematics. Burns does not expect the points to be too high for the first year and he suspects it will not be as high as other courses in the business faculty. Last year all qualified applicants got a place on the certificate course.

Burns says that for this course students "will need to have a certain amount of mathematical ability. If you are going to fill up a big lorry, it has a certain cubic foot size; the pallets that have to fit into that have a certain cubic foot size and they may vary. How many pallets can I fit into my lorry?"

It is certainly not a boring job and is perfect for people who want to do something different every day, he says. The course hopes to produce graduates with knowledge and skills in change management and business improvement in manufacturing, process, transport and logistics service companies. Students are given a broad base training and education and will have a thorough understanding of logistics/supply chain management, information technologies to support logistics and operations management. "It is basically a solid business studies foundation with a special application to logistics and transport."

According to Burns, with the open market and borders, and big lorries criss-crossing the EU, "we have to be able to change our method of doing things, using new technology". Companies using a satellite tracking system can pinpoint where a box (container) is. "We have to be able to produce graduates who would be able to go into companies and manage that sort of equipment and plan operations and just participate in a world-class way."

Over the four years students follow four main streams: logistics and transport; management; finance and statistics; and information management. In the second semester of third year they go out into industry "We would hope that by that stage they have enough on board to be really useful in a company. They will then get really good experience, come back in to finish the fourth year and hopefully the job will be there for them when they want to go back." The industry is demanding graduates of quality, says Burns, adding that they should walk into jobs.

The hours of actual class contact, where students attend lectures, are being kept down to 12 to 14 hours a week over the four years. However, there will also be a lot of tutorial work, teamwork, library and research work outside of that. "That doesn't mean that they will be left abandoned and just cope. There will be tutorials, support by the lecturers and there will also be assessment of that work so there will be feedback. Students will have to present oral and written reports, do teamwork and analytical and problem-solving skills.

In 1998 the Government, through Forfas, established the National Institute for Transport and Logistics in DIT to carry out research on behalf of the industry. This year FAS, in association with the NITL, produced a video, Careers in Logistics, for students about what logistics is - this should be available through career-guidance teachers in schools throughout the State.