APM Terminals Apapa said it spent a total of 9,696 man-hours on employees’ learning and development in 2023.
This cuts across no less than 20 different trainings across various functions with some running concurrently.
Omolara Olatunbosun, senior people business partner, said the company designs a training calendar every year for the training and professional development of its employees.
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According to her, there is an investment of 24.1 man-hours in the training of an employee annually.
“Our employees are one of our core values; ensuring that we have the right person with the right skills for each job is integral to the success of our operations, so we understand the importance of investing in Learning and Development to enhance their skills, efficiency, productivity and overall wellbeing,” she said.
Adding that the terminal was committed to cultivating a culture that fosters continuous learning and development, she described it as an ongoing and transformative journey, as there is a training session/workshop almost every week at APM Terminals Apapa.
She said employees had access to a diverse range of learning resources ranging from various training programs which may be internal or external, formal or informal, to a vast global e-learning resource within the Maersk group.
She said the terminal’s training comprises soft skills training, leadership abilities to skills development to help employees build technical skills, industry knowledge, regulatory compliance, safety, and many more.
Olatunbosun said there is training for new joiners that usually commences immediately as a part of their onboarding journey.
“At APM Terminals Apapa, we are continuously upskilling and reskilling our employees to deliver services that fulfil the global APM Terminals goal of being the world’s best terminal company for all stakeholders. We are equally equipping them to ensure they remain relevant and capable to compete with their colleagues in other terminals around the world,” she said.
Steen Knudsen, terminal manager said ensuring that your employees remain updated with the relevant skills and latest developments in their various fields is a huge task.
“Our operations run at all hours daily. Managing a training calendar annually also means having to constantly pull employees out from their daily tasks so they can be available for any scheduled training,” he said.
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He added that the goal of investing heavily in the development of employees was to ensure the terminal can continue to deliver value to its customers and the host community it lives in.
“We do not restrict learning and development opportunities to only our employees; some of our contractors also benefit from these development programs, especially as regards their skills. Our external stakeholders are not left out; the staff of the Nigeria Ports Authority has participated in some of these training programs, focusing on giving good foundational knowledge of container terminal operations.
“Learning and Development in Apapa is a mix of virtual and onsite training, some of which involve collaboration with colleagues in other APM Terminals around the world. We will continue to invest in developing and upskilling our organisation to be ready for tomorrow’s challenges,” Knudsen said.
