Young Achiever Award for young graduate

North Shore youngster Matthew Archer has been selected as the 2010 CBAFF/Singapore Airlines Cargo PTE Ltd Young Achiever.

Takapuna-based Matthew graduated from the New Zealand Maritime School with the Diploma of Shipping and Freight, and joined Oceanbridge Shipping as a trainee. Aged 20, he quickly moved into their airfreight import/export business, and is now developing his career in this sector. Matthew was chosen from a field of ten applicants, who were shortlisted to four. Each completed their application, curriculum vitae, dissertation and interview with a panel of three assessors.

As the 2010 young achiever, Matthew will visit Singapore in the first quarter of this year, spending time in Singapore Airlines Air freight operation at Changi Airport, visiting Singapore’s port - one of the busiest in the world, and reviewing customs operations, freight forwarding and also Oceanbridge Shipping’s Singaporean agency operation. He will also speak at the CBAFF Annual conference in Wairakei in May.

Matthew’s interest in shipping and freight arose from his time at Westlake Boys College. He completed aptitude tests at the college which showed an interest in this sector, and he also had a family connection through an uncle already working in the freight industry.

“I sought him out and we had a bit of a chat which confirmed my interest,” Matthew said. He completed the Diploma of Shipping and Freight at New Zealand Maritime School, and then joined Oceanbridge as a company trainee. “They slotted me into the airfreight import and export section, which I really enjoy.”

Now Matthew is very much focused on building his career in this industry.

“It’s a fascinating business to be in,” he said. “ Oceanbridge has been very supportive, helping me along from day one. My colleagues have been great and now I have found my feet, and I am dealing daily with clients and their consignments and getting into the business of moving freight efficiently, and meeting deadlines. It is exciting working on the world stage, and learning the business as I go.”

The CBAFF Singapore Airlines Cargo PTE Ltd Young Achiever Award has been running since 2001, and Oceanbridge has been a strong supporter of the programme.

“This is the fifth finalist we have had from our company, and the second winner since 2007,” said Alister Wishart, Chief Operations Officer and a Director of Oceanbridge Shipping Ltd. Their previous winner was Olivia Kinnane, who works at Oceanbridge’s Christchurch office, and this year another staff member Renee Todd, was also another finalist.

“We’re pretty proud of our young achievers. Our investment in young people means we have a really good staff environment at Oceanbridge,” Mr Wishart said.

This view is supported by Matthew who is right into the company’s sports activities, and says as a result, the teamwork is very strong.

Matthew is now a passionate convert into the industry, which holds plenty of promotion opportunities for him as he builds his career.

“When we were going through the training we were learning about it all. Now I am actually doing it in real time, so I can put that training to good use, and get the best results for the customer,” he said.

Malcolm Brown, Tutor at the New Zealand Maritime School, a division of Manukau Institute of Technology, said that there was a continuing demand for young people to join the transport and freight industries.

“As long as we are an importing and exporting country, the industry will need young people to build their careers in this sector,” he said. “ There are plenty of opportunities for advancement. It has a real international flavour which puts us in touch with the rest of the world and shows why import and export trades are so important to the national economy.”

Mr Brown said that NZMS also offered the distance learning course option, via the Certificate in Commercial Logistics.

“There is now great interest in our distance learning course for people already working who need to upskill and obtain some qualifications specifically for this industry,” he said. “The Certificate in Commercial Logistics has similar content to the Diploma in Shipping and Freight and Diploma in Supply Chain Management. This is a blended learning course that can be studied at home or in the office with additional one or two day seminars and tutorials to assist the students.”