The British International Freight Association (BIFA) is reintroducing face-to-face training for some of its courses.
“Delegates have shown their appreciation for being able to complete our various courses online since classroom training was suspended in March 2020. They have also expressed their desire to receive face-to-face training. Hence, we plan to reintroduce classroom sessions from late April 2022,” explained executive director Carl Hobbis, who has overall responsibility for BIFA’s training activities. “Whilst we will recommence face-to-face training, our successful online training courses will continue.”
The first course to return to the classroom on April 27, 2022, at Heathrow, will be Customs Essentials. This is a one-day course that provides knowledge around the key Customs documentation and regimes.
There will be a return to the classroom for BIFA’s four-day BTEC Intermediate Award in Customs Export and Import Procedures, commencing in May. This course is designed for those that would prefer a formal qualification and covers a wide range of Customs-related topics.
On May 26, 2022, BIFA’s Freight Forwarding Essentials course will re-commence in person. This one-day course is ideal for someone new to the industry and provides a basic knowledge around the key documentation, modes of transport, insurance, bookings, charges and consolidations.
2021 was an excellent year for the association’s training programme, added Hobbis. As a result, BIFA appointed Lisa Rose (pictured) as trainer – freight and Customs procedures, giving the trade association a four-strong team based in Manchester, Birmingham and Feltham, which will enable it to deliver more training days for its members during 2022.
Rose, who joins BIFA from Intelligent Global Logistics, will be based in the Midlands and has over 20 years of experience in freight forwarding and logistics.
BIFA director general, Robert Keen, noted: “Our previous prediction that Brexit, the switch from CHIEF to CDS, and the development of a relevant freight forwarding apprenticeship, would lead to a significant increase in the demand for our training programmes, has been proved correct.
“We hope to see more of our members start to take on more apprentices and Lisa’s appointment strengthens the team to have the resources in place to handle any further increase in demand that accompanies the growth in apprentice employment.”
