With supply chain skills where IT skills were in the 20th Century; in demand, scarce
and mobile, the best way to keep up with the latest industry trends and win the talent
race is to invest in training — on an individual and a corporate level.

This is according to Dr Richard D. Stewart who will visit South Africa at the end of May to
present American Society of Transportation and Logistics (ASTL) courses.

Dr Stewart is a Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, the Director of the
Transportation and Logistics Research Center, Co-Director of the Great Lakes Maritime
Research Institute and Chair of the Department of Business and Economics.

In particular, there is a major need – globally and locally – for an increase in skills levels
across all components in the supply chain. Many companies recognise the need and offer
numerous training courses to meet the demand.

ASTL is one of the oldest companies to offer training courses in transportation logistics. It
launched the CTL Professional Certification Program in 1948 and consistently updates the
exams to ensure their integrity. This programme offers the designation CTL to candidates
who demonstrate an understanding of the fundamentals of the profession through the
successful completion of three required modules plus three elective modules.

Says Dr Stewart: “Benefits of ASTL certification include career enhancement through
professional certification and high employee retention rate when providing professional
development opportunities, global common industry standards, proven knowledge in the
transportation and logistics industry. As well as understanding your customer needs.”

Outside of the United States ASTL certification exams are now available in 10 countries
worldwide including South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, China, South Korea, India,
Singapore, France and Germany.

“People are integral to our supply chains as they will continue to operate, manage
and plan the movement of all five modes of transportation, provide timely deliveries,
create value added with distribution center and warehouse services, and be in the
front line of essential customer service.

“The companies that get the people side of their business right, will be the winners in
modern supply chains,” adds Dr Stewart.

For more information on ASTL certifications visit: www.astl.org.za.

About Dr Richard D. Stewart, CTL:

With over 25 years of university teaching experience in undergraduate and graduate courses in the US and overseas, he is also an examiner for ASTL and the ASTL CTL (Certified in Transportation and Logistics) Certification. He has been a small business owner as well as a corporate manager. He has commanded ships all over the world and holds a valid unlimited ocean master mariners license. Dr.Stewart has co-authored an international logistics textbook, a guide to internships in warehouses, book chapters, peer reviewed journal articles, and numerous studies and papers on transportation management, marine environmental management, port operations and transportation education. He has been the Principal Investigator in over $7 Million US in transportation and supply chain research grants. He has served as a consultant for corporations and governmental agencies and is a member of two transportation research board committees.

For more information contact:
Pathfinder Logistics Solutions
astl@pathfindersolutions.co.za
www.pathfindersolutions.co.za