Level 3 International Freight Forwarding Apprenticeship

Compliance rule and law graphic coming out of a tablet.

Do you have a passion for national and international laws and regulations? If so, a future career in international freight forwarding seems like the perfect fit. With customs and regulations constantly changing, this industry is always in need of up-and-coming individuals to take control. Read on to discover why this apprenticeship could benefit you.

What Does the Role Consist of?

As an international freight forwarding specialist, your role will consist of many different aspects so you’ll gain large amounts of knowledge that can be used throughout your future career. Ranging from customs procedures to terms of trade this role is a fantastic way to begin in the business industry. 

A large portion of the role will be building relationships nationally and internationally with clients showcasing your customer service skills. Your role will require you to look after international supply chains and ensure that they are fully secure, efficient, and compliant with current regulations. Being an international freight forwarder is extremely rewarding as you get to see the process from start to finish and take responsibility for goods and transport. 

Entry Requirements for Level 3 International Freight Forwarding

Entry requirements are typically set by employers, so can differ from business to business. Ideally, a Level 2 in English and Maths will have been achieved prior to the course. However, there is the option to complete these during your apprenticeship, and if you think more time will be needed to complete these please factor it into your studying.  

Key Skills and Responsibilities

You will learn the rules of customs, import and export laws, and regulations from industry experts. Becoming a specialist will mean you are responsible for a variety of tasks daily such as shipment bookings, creating the appropriate documents, communication with carriers, and sales quotes. Also, as an international freight forwarder, you will develop specific skills around the classification of goods and relevant paper and electronic documentation, which are transferable skills that can be utilised in many industries. Another invaluable skill is customer service, which you will continue to establish throughout the apprenticeship.

Level 3 International Freight Forwarding Core Behaviours

You will be required to adhere to your job role while meeting several core behaviours, these include:

  • Shows entrepreneurial skills.
  • The individual is proactive.
  • Highly organised, careful and diligent in data entry and written work.
  • Seeks to learn from experienced colleagues and team members.
  • Is open to feedback on work performance.
  • Seeks to build respect among colleagues and team members.
  • Demonstrates teamwork throughout the job role.
  • Communicates accurately and effectively with colleagues and customers.
  • Is a good listener.

You will gain the core knowledge and skills in freight forwarding as seen above, which will then lead to you choosing one of three pathways. In the chosen pathway you will gain further knowledge and skills to help advance your career. The three pathways are air freight, ocean freight, and road freight, you will only continue with one of these which will lead to the end of your apprenticeship. 

Image containing all international freight forwarding methods. Air freight, ocean freight and road freight.

Finally, this International Freight Forwarding Specialist apprenticeship is a unique program, providing you with an excellent balance of on and off-the-job learning. The course will run for 18 months and then you’ll complete an end-point assessment. By completing this apprenticeship, you will have the opportunity to progress to higher levels of learning throughout your professional career. 

Conclusion 

Overall, this level 3 international freight forwarding apprenticeship is a fantastic way to get started in the international business sector. Gaining invaluable knowledge such as transport requirements, invoicing, financial procedures, and much more will lead to you becoming a successful international freight forwarding specialist. 

Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to earn while you learn. 

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5 Free Digital Marketing Tools Every Marketer Needs

Hands typing on a laptop

When starting your career in digital marketing, there are a number of tools and software available to use that can feel overwhelming. From time management to SEO guidance there are many tools to help you develop in your role. With my experience being a digital marketer, I have gathered some free tools below to help get you started. 

Canva

An essential tool for a role as a digital marketer, is Canva, a one-stop shop for all your graphic design needs. Canva allows you to create anything from social media content to website banners and even provides templates to help you do so. Beginning to create content independently can seem intimidating and starting is often the hardest part. But Canva is able to take this difficulty away showing inspiration from previous creators and the drag-and-drop feature makes the experience seamless. 

Google Keyword Planner

Knowing which keywords to target when creating SEO content, such as google ads, blogs, or product pages can seem like an impossible task. However, Google keyword planner is happy to help. This free tool allows you to discover new keywords related to your business or industry and offers estimates of the number of times they were searched. Lastly, the keyword planner also tells you how much it costs to target them. This free digital marketing tool is fantastic for all digital marketers who are looking for short and long-tail keywords. 

SEO graphic concept on a desktop computer.
SEO Search Engine Optimization Internet Digital Concept

Unsplash

Understanding licensing rules and adhering to them is a key part of digital marketing to ensure you avoid any copyright claims against you. Unsplash is a website that holds over 1,000,000 royalty-free images; that you can download for free. Not only are the images royalty free but they are also high quality, and you can download them in small, medium, and large file sizes. Using stock images is a great way to advance your social media and website content to create engaging content. 

In comparison to other image-sourcing websites, Unsplash comes out on top largely because of the price. Other sites such as Shutterstock and Adobe Stock, are much higher in price and limit the number of downloads each user can have, not forgetting to mention the images can be of much lower quality. Overall, with my experience, I believe that Unsplash is an essential tool for a digital marketing professional. 

CapCut

Creating engaging short-form video content is a crucial part of a digital marketing role. Due to the increase in the popularity of video due to platforms like TikTok and Instagram. CapCut is a multi-purpose video editor that takes away the complex process of editing, so is the perfect tool for up-and-coming professionals. Something that sets CapCut apart from other video editors is that you can extract audio. Take a trending sound from Instagram and import the video into CapCut, simply click extract audio and here you have a cheat sheet to create perfectly timed transitions and effects. 

Notion

Digital marketers don’t like to be confined to boxes and are free-thinking, multi-faceted individuals. As a digital marketer whether you are in a company or as an agent, it is a holistic role that requires you to juggle various campaigns and projects. Notion is a simple but complex software used by many industry professionals to help organise notes and knowledge. Planning and organising are important factors in a digital marketing career and Notion can improve efficiency and productivity within various roles.

Also, you can customise your notion dashboard to suit any style of working, whether that be creative or methodical. Simply import your notes and to-do lists and from here you can begin to create your Notion dashboard.

Conclusion of Free Digital Marketing Tools

With a range of free digital marketing tools readily available it is crucial to know which ones will help develop your skills. These 5 free digital marketing tools will help you to achieve your best now and in the future as software advances and trends change. To conclude, knowing what tools will aid your development and progression is key to creating successful strategies and campaigns.

Make sure to follow us on socials @apprenticetips to stay up to date with all the current digital marketing trends and advancements.