June 28 - At Saving Shipping & Forwarding, plans are in place to nurture the next generation of project freight forwarders.

Giorgio Bono, managing director of the Italian company and a respected industry veteran, says he is looking to the future as he welcomes his youngest son to full-time employment with the company.

Andrea, 24, pictured, has his sights set on one day taking over Saving's industrial project division and is about to embark on an on-the-job apprenticeship in a bid to further his knowledge of the trade.

The engineering graduate is enthusiastic about starting a career in a industry that will deliver "lots of overseas travel and contact with other cultures.

"This job is all about finding solutions to complex problems," he says. "This is not a regular job, there's no fixed schedule and you'll never do the same thing twice."

Andrea agrees the industry must do more to recruit young talent. "It's not a well-known business amongst graduates. My peers at university are thinking about careers in finance - they are not thinking about freight."

He adds: "Project forwarding is a very attractive job, if only because there are so few candidates for each position, compared to other sectors.

"You start from zero, even after university, but you learn fast if you have the tools. Once you master the trade and establish the contacts, your earning potential is just as great as in other industries.

Keen to keep his son's feet on the ground, the elder Bono delivers a warning shot, telling his son, only half in jest, that: "No one can take my place - not in 10 years, or even 100 years."

Saving is currently handling Italian export cargo for a refinery and petrochemical complex in Tatarstan, Russia, for Taneco, a subsidiary of Tatneft - one of Russia's largest oil and gas producers.

The Como-based forwarder is also in the process of establishing a joint venture company in Turkey, where it sees great potential in the oil and gas and power generation sectors.

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