Information for prospective students
Overview
The WiseTech Diploma of International Freight Forwarding is a comprehensive collection of freight forwarding and logistics industry courses that provides those joining, or progressing within the industry, a thorough education in their chosen career as a freight forwarder.
The Diploma program is made up of 16 courses that cover the various modes of transport within the industry such as sea, air, road, rail and inland waterway, and the combination of these through multimodal transport and logistics warehousing and distribution.
The Diploma goes on to introduce students to the supplementary elements of moving cargo, such as safety and security, liability and insurance, incoterms, global customs practices, handling of dangerous goods, and the various technological systems that manage global trade. And, importantly, it also includes a comprehensive analysis of the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on the global supply chain and how the industry is addressing climate change and can effectively manage its carbon footprint in the future.
Successful completion of this Diploma will require participants to learn facts, frameworks and definitions relevant to the industry, and will require that they can apply conceptual knowledge, principles and practices. This will enable student to analyze and evaluate scenarios to provide an understanding and application of industry norms and innovations alike.
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How it works
The WiseTech Diploma of International Freight Forwarding is 100% online. While online interaction with other participants is encouraged, there are no formal face-to-face or virtual classes. The Academy courses use an eLearning methodology where course text material is supplemented by both instructor and animated videos, engaging schematics and graphics, links to further learning, and interactive activities to assist in the learning process.
There are no entry requirements for this qualification. The Academy recommends students have worked directly within the logistics industry and are looking to upskill, however the Diploma is also designed for industry newcomers and those making a career change into the exciting world of freight and logistics.
Consistent with WiseTech Academy’s approach to online learning, participants are able to enrol in any of the 16 courses within this Diploma as a standalone course and secure a WiseTech Certificate of Attainment following successful completion of the online assessment. The assessment for each course is prepared to the same standard of compliance as the Diploma level assessments.
Participants who go on to complete all 16 courses are awarded the full Diploma Certificate. While there is a recommended sequence for the courses in the Diploma (described below), the Diploma has been designed to offer high flexibility for those juggling the many demands of work and family life, and can be taken in any order.
The Academy's portal keeps a record of your Certificates and Course Completions and advises you of your progress.
The Academy has created a streamlined fee structure for the WiseTech Diploma of International Freight Forwarding. As each course can be studied standalone, each course fee is US$45.71. As the pricing is “pay-as-you-go”, the full cost of the Diploma is 16 courses x $45.71 USD = $731.36 USD. In addition, WiseTech Academy commits to zero increase in Course fees before the end of 2024, giving extra assurance that the Diploma will be a great value proposition.
What you'll learn
On successful completion of the program students will have:
- A depth of technical understanding of international freight forwarding and logistics that will help them to work successfully within the industry and continue developing relevant knowledge, skills and expertise throughout their careers
- Enhanced ability to manage projects in various aspects of international freight forwarding relevant to their job function, and to develop, manage and participate at many levels in team environments
- An understanding of the complexities of each mode of international transport, their regulatory requirements and how they are managed on a shipment-by-shipment basis
- Enhanced ability to communicate effectively within a wide range of industry stakeholders, both within and outside their organization
- Enhanced ability to apply their knowledge and skills to manage client freight forwarding and logistics solutions provided by your organization
Course content
There are 16 courses in total in this Diploma. All 16 are mandatory subjects and are required to be completed to receive your Diploma (subject to WiseTech Academy recognized prior learning and credit transfer rules). There are no elective courses.
One of the advantages of studying the WiseTech Diploma of International Freight Forwarding is the flexibility of being able to study any of the 16 courses in any order for persons who have current industry experience.
However, as some students may be undertaking this Diploma with a limited amount of experience within the international freight forwarding industry, the Academy recommends a specific order of study as listed below.
We recommend to study the Introduction to International Freight Forwarding course first, followed by the eight remaining courses within Foundation Topics, before progressing on to the courses within Advanced Topics.
The WiseTech Diploma of International Freight Forwarding is self-paced and designed to be completed within 12 months if committing approximately 5 hours per week. The duration for each course is different, depending on the course. Approximate course lengths can be found on the Diploma Enrolment Page.
Note: The course lengths (in hours) shown are indicative only. The actual time to complete each course will depend on the previous experience of the student. For example, an experienced freight forwarding professional may complete the Introduction to International Freight Forwarding course in a fraction of the time indicated, due to prior experience in the field.
The following order is recommended for the first nine courses.
- Introduction to international freight forwarding
This course describes the role and various activities of a forwarding company, including the business and operational aspects of international freight forwarding, and how freight forwarding fits into the wider logistics industry. It covers an introduction to the modes of transport, packing requirements, documentation, financial management, special cargo services, and information technology in the global supply chain.
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Sea transport in the global supply chain
Gain practical knowledge of the key structural and operational concepts of ocean vessels and their cargo, the key organizations and regulations related to sea transport, the documentation used, and preparing routing of cargo and pricing from origin to destination.
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The types and functions of international sea containers
Learn about the role of sea containerization, the impact of unsafe container loading practices, the international organizations and conventions for maritime containers, packing requirements, and documents used for container traffic.
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Air transport in the global supply chain
This course will enable you to recognize the regulatory bodies and conventions in airfreight, the various types of airfreight forwarders, the different types of aircraft and air containers, the handling air cargo, air consolidation, documentation and terminology used in the industry.
- Road transport in the global supply chain
The course covers the rules of the international movement of goods by road transport conforming with procedures and relevant statutory measures. This course also details the types of road vehicles, documentation and pricing of road services.
- Rail transport in the global supply chain
You will learn the skills and knowledge to carry out the role of rail transport within the global supply chain by recognizing the global geography of rail networks, the procedures and documentation that apply to rail transport and the tariffs used. It also includes the technology used in the international rail industry.
- National and international carriage by inland waterway
Acquire the practical knowledge to arrange the international movement of goods by inland waterway conforming with procedures and relevant statutory measures. This course also covers the types of barges, vessels, and containers, documentation and pricing of inland waterway services.
- Multimodal transport in the global supply chain
This course provides the skills and knowledge to carry out the role and modes of international multimodal transport including the relevant rules and conventions. It covers the different types of MMT and the different executions of import, export and transshipment via the MMT modes, including project forwarding and appreciating the need for alternative transport solutions.
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International logistics, warehousing and distribution
The course provides the skills and knowledge to carry out the role of the forwarder in logistic activities and defines logistic systems including warehousing and distribution. It also includes the role of the third-party logistics service provider.
The remaining seven courses should follow in the recommended sequence. For example, full understanding of Multimodal Transport would only after the Road, Rail and Inland Waterway courses have been studied.
- Understanding Incoterms 2020 ©
Learn about the changes made to the Incoterm® rules in 2020, how to apply them, and gain insight into the use of each of the terms and advice where dangers may appear regarding their effective application.
- Safety and security in the global supply chain
Discover and learn how to apply current safety and security measures used in the daily practice of a freight forwarder and understand the difference between safety and security. This course describes existing security programs in the transport chain, taking into account the different modes of transport.
- Dangerous goods (Hazmat) awareness in the global supply chain
This course will teach you the various UN Regulations (Air, Sea, Road/Rail) for Dangerous Goods. It also covers the use and completion of the DG documents, the roles of the different parties in DG handling, cargo classification, marking and training.
- Global customs conventions and procedures
This course covers the necessity of customs duties and control on imported, exported or transit cargo. The course gives a brief coverage on the existing international conventions/agreements, structure of customs tariffs and the forms used in various countries. The also covers the calculation of customs duties and awareness of Customs offences and frauds.
- Reducing greenhouse gases in the global supply chain
Understand and appreciate the impact of the carbon footprint on the global logistics industry and how each party can measure and reduce emissions. This course also covers the responses to climate change within the industry, estimations of greenhouse gas emissions from international logistics, and implementing a greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategy for international logistics.
- Transport logistics contracts, insurance, liability and risk
Learn about the different range of contract liabilities, risk management and insurance in the global supply chain. This course also covers the liabilities of different parties, the duties of the forwarder in case of damage and general average calculations.
- Information & communication technologies in international freight forwarding
This course will provide the fundamental essentials in the usage of the technologies applicable in forwarding, including the extent of e-business and eCommerce. In addition, it includes a fundamental understanding of IT security used in logistics management.
Assessment
Most courses within the Diploma feature 30 final assessment questions with a required pass mark of 80%. There are options to re-attempt the assessment after further study. In addition, activity questions have been provided throughout each course to assist in the preparation for the final assessment.
Courses in the WiseTech Diploma of International Freight Forwarding use multiple-choice and single-word, phrase or number questions to test student learning at all levels in Bloom’s Taxonomy (see below). Some questions present problems that require the application of course principles, analysis of a problem, or evaluation of alternatives to test higher-order thinking, and the student’s ability to apply their learning at higher levels.
Most students report that their school experience was largely about remembering and understanding large amounts of content and then demonstrating this comprehension periodically in tests and exams.
Bloom’s Taxonomy is a framework that starts with these two levels of thinking as important bases for pushing our brains to other higher-order levels of thinking, then further expands to six levels of thinking. This helps us to move beyond remembering and recalling information into deeper application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and creation. It is in these higher levels of thinking that our brains are tested to truly learn the material.
Community Forum
The Diploma courses include access to a dedicated Community Forum designed to allow for collective learning and collaboration within an online environment.
The concept of the Community Forum is to allow students to make their own specific comments, or raise questions, about any area of the Diploma or course they are studying or any difficulty they are experiencing. The Forum allows for and encourages informal responses from other students and educators, not only in your own company or country, but from anyone around the world studying the course.
In addition, moderators of online discussions may provide challenge scenarios which could be applied in a typical workplace and support the practical application of knowledge. Entrenching knowledge based upon actual workplace experience augments the learning experience.