PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION
Purpose:

The safe handling of freight is dependent upon the applicable people complying with the relevant procedures and applying the necessary skills to their handling. This Qualification, therefore, is aimed at providing learners in the Freight sector with:

• An integrated practical and theoretical grounding in Freight Handling.
• The ability to work more effectively with others.
• The skills necessary to maintain and enhance the level of service and quality of service expected by customers.
• An awareness and understanding of key business principles that lead to transformation, transferability, economic growth and social development in the freight handling industry.

The key areas of specialisation identified within the Freight Handling Industry are as follows:

Learnership Code Learnership Title Credit Value NQF Level
26Q260047351283 National Certificate in Freight Handling - Stevedoring Level 3 128 Level 3
26Q260044351283 National Certificate in Freight Handling - Warehousing & Distribution Level 3 128 Level 3
26Q260043351283 National Certificate in Freight Handling: Airfreight Level 3 128 Level 3
26Q260045351283 National Certificate in Freight Handling: Courier Level 3 128 Level 3
26Q260046351283 National Certificate in Freight Handling: Port Operations Level 3 128 Level 3

• Warehousing and Distribution.
• Port Operations.
• Stevedoring.
• Courier Operations.
• Bulk Handling.
• Airfreight.
• Forwarding and Clearing.

Learners completing this Qualification, in whatever area of specialization selected, will be able to demonstrate the ability to consider a range of options related to their chosen field in order to make decisions and improve performance around, inter alia, freight handling administration, planning; goods handling, storage, transport planning, and basic freight handling equipment maintenance.

Rationale:

People involved in freight handling play a key role in the movement of goods since they represent the physical link that ensures that the freight is efficiently and safely handled. The required knowledge and skills can be used in many other goods handling environments or equally as well in a full warehousing environment. On-the-job experience can progressively lead to positions of more responsibility in the safe handling of goods and freight.

The majority of learners for this Qualification are likely to be either unemployed persons wishing to enter the industry, or persons currently working in the greater freight handling sector that wish to improve their skills and enhance their own career path opportunities.

The Qualification will provide learners with the opportunity to acquire the essential knowledge needed to further their studies in differing specialist areas within the transport sector of the South African economy.

This Qualification reflects workplace-based needs in the wider Freight Handling Industry, both now and for the future. Freight Handling is diverse in its nature, so a fairly wide range of competencies are required by employees. The Qualification aims to provide the foundational and initial skills required for an individual in the industry to handle freight successfully; be an effective team member and undertake those tasks required to contribute to the effective processing of freight.