The changing face of training has seen Metro Minds reinvent itself time and time again.Earlier this year the company made history when it launched a graduate qualification in conjunction with business school, the Da Vinci Institute, granting industry access to a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Freight Forwarding and Customs Compliance.According to Juliette Fourie, Metro Minds founder and MD, this has been well received by industry. The training academy has also introduced an interactive online learning platform known as Smart Minds. “It is designed to empower individuals to build knowledge, skills, and experiences,” explains Fourie. “All courses are impactful and practical, with quizzes, videos, and exciting articles to expand and test one’s k nowledge.”She says the main aim of Smart Minds is to optimise learning in the shortest amount of time, cost-effectively, with a memorable and fun experience. Another ongoing development is that of workplace simulation to enable work readiness and talent development in the industry. “This is aligned to cater for the skills of the future in the form of digital literacy, communication, creativity, innovation, problem-solving, and critical thinking,” says Fourie. In line with this Metro Minds recently launched the pilot Supply Chain Simulation in Cape Town. “The pandemic has changed the way we think about training as well as the way we present learning,” she told Freight News. “Micro-learning and virtual classes have become more popular, although humans need humans and the contact sessions remain popular. We are going back to the basics – communication and customer service... the way we do business post-Covid has changed and we must remind ourselves that the past is the past and we need to reframe again. Technical industry skills will always be in demand – but life skills are organic and will always need attention.”Her advice to companies is clear. Invest long term. “Start with an assessment of the realities of the current state of skills per department in your organisation. Link this to the larger intention and picture. What is the intention for talent? Then create an integrated approach to measure the correct skills improvement. What does talent look like? Are you using a benchmark per job function? Start to build the ideal talent pipeline through skills projects that could give your business a competitive edge as well as receive all your directives.”This way, she says, a skilled workforce is built, with talent being nurtured through coaching and mentoring.
