For Charles Clinten Rethina James, the IATA Special Cargo Handling Diploma was the edge he needed to attract attention in the Canadian logistics job market, and the first step to regaining his previous level.
Responsible for ensuring compliance, managing local business partners, and handling shipments for key accounts.
With a Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering, followed by a Master’s in Business Administration, I began my career in logistics at the management level, back in my home country of India. Logistics is a service sector, and I was drawn to apply my technical and management knowledge to providing and ensuring efficient service to customers.
My broad experience, leading teams in operations, customer account management, and partner management, along with my high level of education, helped me get into the job market when I moved to Canada in 2021, but at a lower level. I needed to find a way to get back on my career path.
I’m a great believer in continuous learning, and prefer to have formal training rather than learning on the job. Taking a training course gives you a thorough grounding, showing you every aspect of the subject, whereas each job usually only has a narrow focus, and can leave you unprepared when something unexpected comes up. I therefore started to look at what training courses were available, that would make me stand out in the Canadian market, and would enable me to further explore international operations.
My move coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, and I had seen the demand for special cargo take off and, in fact, surge since. Only a limited number of people can handle special cargo, and I realized that certified training in this area could make me an attractive proposition for an employer. It’s rare for freight forwarding employees to have this type of specialized qualification, and it reduces employers’ need to invest in substantial onboarding.
I chose IATA because it’s the international organization that makes the rules and regulations we follow. Regulations keep changing, particularly in special cargo, and training with IATA ensures you stay up to date. I didn’t really consider any other training providers, because the quality is just not the same. Of course, I had to pay for it myself, but I truly believe IATA’s training provides greater value.
I chose the Special Cargo Handling Diploma because I had previously taken the Air Cargo Skills and Procedures course, traveling to Singapore to do so. It was there that I met the IATA regional manager for Asia-Pacific, who gave me some insights on special cargo. As Cargo Skills and Procedures is one of the elective courses for the diploma, I had a head start.
I completed the three required, specialized courses in a virtual classroom with an instructor. I did the classes and my coursework late at night and had to work the next day, which made it very hard, but I got distinctions in my tests. It was a fantastic program! The instructors were the best. They were highly specialized, with almost 35 years of experience in the industry. And I’m still in touch with them; they mentor me. I’m honestly not sure how people advance their knowledge if they don’t do these courses.
The content covers not only airline internal operations, which freight forwarders don’t need to know about, but also how shippers and airlines work in a general way. In particular, it gives an overview of solutions available in the industry, which helps to best advise the client. There are also case studies that are a unique experience; not just hypothetical cases, but actual examples drawn from the industry.
Completing the IATA Special Cargo Handling Diploma in August 2022 enabled me to obtain a Pharmaceutical and Healthcare specialist role with a major name in logistics, just a few months later. The diploma helped me get the attention of employers, and I was able to hit the ground running and start handling shipments for major customers that provide vaccines, and life-saving narcotics and controlled drugs for hospitals, almost right away. It took only a couple of weeks to onboard me. Pharmaceutical and cold chain operations are, for sure, one of the more delicate and complex segments of cargo, requiring strong holistic understanding, and high attention to detail. Having completed the Temperature Controlled Cargo Operations course made me able to contribute fully to the four-person specialist team very quickly.
The knowledge I acquired from the IATA Training courses helped me to analyze and predict the potential risks associated with a shipment, and tailor the appropriate solution for the client, to ensure that patients get their medications in time, with the optimum quality. It’s really helpful to be able to refer back to the course material on solutions, and find the perfect one for the situation. But the most useful aspect for me was the real-life case study on an unsuccessful project, with a class exercise on preventive and corrective actions. There are often unforeseen difficulties in logistics, and I draw on that exercise and how it can be turned into a successful outcome.
After 20 months, I am now leading the department and, without a shadow of a doubt, IATA has been key to this achievement. I am sure that I would not have been successful in my position and obtained my promotion without the knowledge that I acquired from the IATA Training courses. Now that I have achieved my goal of working in special cargo, and am well on my way back to the management level I had before, I want to progress further in the sector. I intend to do the Pharmaceutical Handling Diploma to get more insights on cold chain management. Pharma is definitely more about quality than cost, and I am aiming to be a lead quality investigator. I will probably also do more training on dangerous goods, as some pharmaceuticals are classed as dangerous goods.
As before, I’ll continue to invest my own money in my professional development, so I can choose my own career path and not be obliged to provide my employer with a return on their investment. I also want to be sure of the quality of the training I’m getting. It’s important to me to do it with the industry leader, and cost is not a factor.
I would definitely recommend IATA Training to anyone in the industry. It’s a sound investment. It helps you stand out, shows you’re capable, and that you invest in yourself. It’s also a reassurance for employers that you can be operational rapidly. I came to Canada from a different part of the world, and had to take a step down. Now I am in demand as a specialist, have shown my worth in a supervisory role, managing people, customers, partners and systems, and I have many options for my career progression. IATA Training is a sound investment.
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