Are you a mover and shaker? Or have a passion for organization? Or yearn to see new places? If so, then Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics is the right career field for you.

TRANSPORTATION, DISTRIBUTION AND LOGISTICS

Every day, in every part of the world, people, information and goods travel hundreds of thousands of miles on roads, water, railway, pipeline, space and air routes all because of those who work in Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics.

Transport or transportation refers to the movement of people, animals and goods from one location to another

Distribution refers primarily to the management of warehouse and other large storage centers, and the movement of items in and out of the facility.

Logistics refers to the planning aspect of this line of work that is, creating and revising the schedules and plans that ensure the timely delivery of passengers and goods to their destinations. 

The professionals in this career field are responsible for ensuring that everyone and everything gets to the right place on time and at the lowest possible cost. They are experts in planning, organization, and project management and with increasing use of technology such as Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags to track the location of shipments their work is faster. As well as related professional and technical support services such as transportation infrastructure planning and management, logistics services and mobile equipment and facility.

This sector had just 6% (477) of the jobs advertised in the New Vision newspapers and yet there is an increase in trade across the region that has opened more transport and logistics opportunities.

FUTURE JOBS

The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Sports, Career Guidance Handbook shows the following jobs in this career field:

  • Travel Agents
  • Bus Driver
  • Chauffeurs
  • Vehicle Coordinators
  • Driving Instructor
  • Train Driver
  • Hydrologist
  • Industrial Technicians
  • Marine Architects
  • Water Care Technologist
  • Aircraft Loader
  • Pilot
  • Airport Police
  • Cabin Attendant
  • Automotive Body Repairer
  • Motor Mechanic
  • Automotive Machinist
  • Navigator
  • Diesel Fitter

SKILLS

The skills needed here are:

  • Negotiation skills
  • Driving skills
  • Communication
  • Ambitious
  • Integrity
  • Flexibility
  • Punctuality
  • Organization
  • Innovativeness

COURSES

The academic programmes that will lead you here include

COURSE ENTRY QUALIFICATIONS

To get into the courses above, these are some entry schemes:

  • Direct Entry scheme; the candidates should have a minimum of two (2) principle passes in all A ‘level subjects obtained at the same sitting or its equivalent in relevant subjects.
  • Diploma entry scheme; the candidate should hold a relevant diploma.
  • Mature age entry scheme; the candidate should have a pass in the mature age entry examinations with at least 50% and must be 25 years and above with a certificate or diploma in any course.

NOTE: Candidates who have obtained at least one (1) principle pass or its equivalent in relevant subjects can apply for diploma and certificate programmes. For certificate courses, candidates must have attained a minimum of 5 credits at O ‘level.

(SOURCES: The New Vision newspaper university guide, the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Sports, Career Guidance Handbook, and the Uganda Bureau of Statistics)