AP University of Applied Sciences is responding to the need for port – Flows with its graduate degree in Terminal Management

Various bachelor’s and graduate courses are offered at the AP University of Applied Sciences with its city campus in the heart of Antwerp. A graduate degree is what is called an associate degree in English; it is a two-year course so that you can start working straight away.

“We started the Transport and Logistics graduate degree six years ago,” Dimitri Popelier reflects. “At that time there were two majors: Customs Declaration and Road Transport. Since its inception six years ago, student numbers have almost doubled. Two years ago, a third specialization was added: Warehouse Management, specifically at the request of the professional field, and Terminal Management will be added from the 2024-2025 school year.”

Dialogue with companies

For AP University of Applied Sciences, this dialogue with the business community is crucial. For example, professional field committees are organized twice a year in which companies indicate which competencies students must have. “One of the most important ports in Europe is, so to speak, in our backyard,” says Popelier. “The terminal management major is therefore specifically focused on maritime transport.”

The first year of the graduate degree is general, the second year is the specialization. Four specializations are possible at the AP University of Applied Sciences: Customs Declaration, Road Transport, Warehouse Management and, from September, also Terminal Management.

“During the first year of the graduate degree, we offer a broad education, with a general introduction to transport & logistics, an ICT component and also languages. Bilingualism remains important in Belgium,” Popelier indicates. But the lion’s share of the training consists of workplace learning, internships at companies.

Workplace learning

“We are therefore looking for companies that can receive students for our new direction in the context of workplace learning,” says Popelier. “We already have very good cooperation with many companies, and workplace learning is a win-win. The students get to know the practice, but in most cases these students are also offered a contract with the company where they are doing an internship. The advantage is that they know the DNA of the company and have been able to gain valuable work experience.”

But Popelier is also thinking about other matters in the context of Terminal Management. “In addition to internships, we are also constantly looking for companies that we can visit as part of the training. In addition, we are always looking for guest speakers from the business world, who can help warm up the students. We are looking for new lecturers specifically for Terminal Management, and we are also looking at people from the business community.”

“We read in Flows that there are 5,000 vacancies in the port and related companies today,” says Dimitri Popelier. “With our Transport and Logistics graduate degree, we train the right people to fill this position. Since the port of Antwerp will also expand significantly with project ECA, we are convinced of the added value of this new direction.”