In September last year, the VIVES University of Applied Sciences was the first in Flanders to offer dual learning at bachelor level. For this first, it chose the department of Logistics Management. Transuniverse Forwarding immediately offered to participate: five students followed an internship with us last academic year.
“There is a great need for well-trained managers. By involving students in business during their training via the dual learning system, we hope to meet the needs of the sector,” says VIVES head of training Veerle Lahousse.
VIVES is one of the largest universities of applied sciences in Flanders. Students of logistics management are taught on the campus in Kortrijk by lecturers in the field. In addition to a thorough economic training, they also get to know the latest digital logistics tools. But through dual learning, they also acquire practical skills from the first year onwards.
The Logistics Management course takes three years. “From the second semester of the first year on, they work one day a week in a logistics company. In the second year, they follow a day’s internship every week throughout the year. And in the third year they work in the company every day for 13 weeks, after which they write their bachelor’s thesis,” Veerle Lahousse explains.
“Dual learning has a clear added value for both the student and the company. The student has the opportunity to discover the different functions within the organisation and gets to know the culture of the company. And the company can perceive the qualities of the students more easily, which increases the chance of recruitment. And in that case, it can employ them in the right place and the right function,” adds Veerle.
“Transuniverse Forwarding is always looking for young talent. Last academic year we had five VIVES trainees with us: Timothy, Tuur, Abdellah, Deborah and Maxime. We were impressed by the level of their skills,” says HR manager Sofia Ditoras. She is also very positive about the good contacts with the school. “At VIVES, they know what they’re doing. They’re also very well informed”. If the coronavirus doesn’t throw a spanner in the works, Transuniverse will also offer internships this academic year.
A good example of the cross-pollination between VIVES and Transuniverse is that of second year student Abdellah Khitent (in the photo with mentor Theo Timmerman). He worked one day a week for the Morocco department. The collaboration was so good that it was decided he would do his 13 week internship at Transuniverse Maroc in Casablanca. “Afterwards he will write a manual on “How to do business in Morocco” as a bachelor thesis, containing tips and tricks about the best Incoterms to use, customs formalities and so on. This will allow Transuniverse to better serve customers with cargo to and from Morocco,” Sofia adds.
