Since 2019, dual learning in logistics has been available at bachelor’s level. Transuniverse Forwarding finds this an excellent way of discovering and attracting young talent. Five Logistics Management students from the VIVES University of Applied Sciences in Kortrijk have already done an internship with us. For Abdellah Khltent, this first encounter with the ‘real’ world of work was very enjoyable. He was given the opportunity to do his three-month internship this year at Transuniverse… in Morocco. It was a unique experience from which he learned a lot.
“I was interested in transport and logistics from a young age. Whenever I was in a shop, I would always look at the origin of the products and wonder how they got to us. That is why I enrolled for a Bachelor’s in Logistics Management at VIVES. Coincidentally, that was the first year that dual learning was an option. After a speed dating session, I chose Transuniverse,” Abdellah explains.
“During the second academic year, I went to work in Wondelgem one day a week. Under Theo’s guidance, I had the pleasure of working in the ‘export Maghreb’ department. At first it was just observing, but pretty soon I was given real tasks and even more responsibilities than I had ever expected,” he says. During the third year of study, students do a three-month internship. Then they write a bachelor’s thesis based on this experience, among other things. Abdellah was given the opportunity to do his internship at Transuniverse Maroc in Casablanca. He would use that experience to write his thesis on how to export goods to Morocco.
Culture shock
“In the beginning it was actually a culture shock. In Belgium, an intern is considered a future employee. In Morocco, he is seen as someone who still has to learn everything. In Belgium, I was already involved in the business to some extent, but in Morocco I didn’t have much to do in the beginning. But I’m glad that the management responded positively to my request to learn more. I was given my own e-mail address and over time they gave me more substantive assignments,” Abdellah explains. “I also got the opportunity to talk to customs – which was useful for my bachelor’s thesis – and ask how they deal with wrongly cleared goods, for example.”
Language
It was also quite an experience in terms of language. “The language of communication is Moroccan, a mixture of Arabic and French. Although I learned that language from my mother, I sometimes found it difficult to talk to the other staff members. The language of business is French. You communicate with the customers by phone or e-mail in that language. In the beginning it was a bit of a struggle with my school French, but after a while it became easier.”
Instructive experience
Abdellah looks back on his internship and his stay in Morocco as a very instructive experience. He graduated in June and went back to work at Transuniverse in Wondelgem, initially in a holiday job but from October as a new employee in the ‘Export Maghreb/Middle East’ department.
