Students get hands-on experience of materials-handling gear

Students get hands-on experience of materials-handling gear

Article Type: Notes and news From: Industrial and Commercial Training, Volume 46, Issue 2

Briggs Equipment has been helping to encourage students to think about a career in the logistics industry during an event at the University of Derby, UK.

The forklift supply and service company put on display state-of-the-art trucks and equipment as part of the university’s logistics week.

A counterbalance truck was driven into the main atrium at the Kedleston Road campus to sit alongside other materials-handling equipment including pallet trucks. Students could meet members of the Briggs team to talk about opportunities in the materials-handling side of the logistics industry.

Dean Mansell, national after-sales manager at Briggs Equipment and a board member of the National Skills Academy Logistics, explained: “It was great to meet so many bright young students and to tell them about the wide range of careers available in our sector. It was also good to network with other businesses involved in logistics and to hear the views of industry experts.”

Sponsored by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), the event also gave companies the chance to see how the university can work with them to develop skills through its honours program in logistics.

The event included a series of seminars with Dr Mick Jackson, chief executive of Skills for Logistics, and Dr Ming Lim, head of the university’s specialist center for supply-chain improvement, among the guest speakers.

Professor Liz Barnes, the university pro-vice-chancellor, commented: “Businesses and the university need to work together to ensure the logistics industry enjoys the high profile it deserves. It is a sector with huge potential and I would like to thank Briggs for helping us to get that message across.”