As a dynamic international environment bustling with activity 24/7

Work
As a dynamic international environment bustling with activity 24/7/365, the
North Sea Canal Area has a great need for qualified workers.
Figures and trends
n 59,075
people are directly or indirectly employed in
the Amsterdam Port Region (comprising the ports of
Amsterdam, Zaanstad, Beverwijk and Velsen/IJmuiden). A total of 34,309 people are directly employed
in the Port region (in the transhipment, processing
and distribution of goods); indirect employment is
24,766.
n The Amsterdam Port Area is one of the largest
employers in the region, accounting for 9% of total
employment in the municipalities of the North Sea
Canal Area, and 4% of total employment in the
Amsterdam Metropolitan Area (which extends from
IJmuiden to Lelystad and from Purmerend to
Haarlemmermeer). In comparison, Schiphol accounts
for 5% of the jobs in the Amsterdam Metropolitan
Area.
n The Amsterdam Port Region employs people of all
educational levels:
- Preparatory secondary vocational education 25%
- Senior secondary vocational education 50%
- Higher professional education/university 25%
- The Port has a great need for new workers, for
two reasons:
1.We are currently in the midst of a retirement wave.
25% of the 59,075 people employed in or around
the Port of Amsterdam Region (roughly 14,750
workers) are set to retire between 2010 and 2020. It
is estimated that around 6,000 people will be needed to replace these workers (although some jobs
will be eliminated due to automation and increased
efficiency).
2.The Port also has significant ambitions for growth,
which is another reason why it needs new employees.
n There is a significant need for education, professional development and training:
1.Due to increased automation and higher efficiency,
there is a demand for significantly more people with a wide range of skills across the entire
logistics industry. Besides nautical and warehouse
activities, knowledge of and skills in areas such as
IT, planning/scheduling, administration, finance,
management and security have become increasingly
important.
2.Due to the demand for replacement and expected
growth, there is a great demand for employees being promoted within the Port and skilled workers
with experience in other industries.
The Port is a multicultural environment that employs
around 50 different nationalities.
What happens in the Port?
The Amsterdam Port Region annually processes millions of tonnes of dry and liquid bulk, mixed cargo
and containers, with commodities ranging from cocoa
beans to clothing and from paper rolls to oil products.
Besides being transported, stored and transhipped,
a large portion of these goods are also processed
in the Port area before being transferred. For example, oil products are mixed into petrol; organic
waste is converted into sustainable energy; cars are
equipped with additional parts based on customer
requirements, and cocoa beans, grains, soybeans and
vegetable oils are processed into semi-finished goods
for the food, pharmaceutical and fodder industries. All
this activity creates jobs in operations, organisation,
administration and management.
Port companies
The port region is home to a variety of companies,
ranging from terminals, stevedoring companies and
logistics services providers to industrial companies,
European distribution offices and trendy fashion and
media companies.
Logistics companies
Logistics refers to getting the right goods to the right
location at the right time. This requires effective organisation, planning, management and export of the
goods, from the time the raw materials are purchased
up to the time the end product is delivered to the
buyer. Logistics companies schedule and manage
areas such as the transport, loading and unloading
of ships, handle storage and stock management and
administration, and arrange where, when and how
the goods must be delivered. They use highly sophisticated information technologies to track and monitor every step involved in freight transport, from the
manufacturer to the final destination.
Bulk goods and energy companies
Bulk goods are unpackaged goods stored in tanks
or containers or dumped into loading areas. Bulk
goods can be subdivided into liquid bulk (e.g. oil and
fruit concentrate) and dry bulk (e.g. cocoa beans,
coal, soybean meal, fodder ingredients and biomass).
Many of these goods are processed into semi-finished
products, which is also handled in the port area.
The Port of Amsterdam is also home to a large and
specialised energy section, where energy materials
and bioenergy materials are stored, transhipped and
processed and sustainable energy is generated from
organic and residual waste and other materials.
Support services
Port companies are involved in a wide range of serv-
ices related to the storage, transhipment, processing and transport of goods, including ship brokers,
shipping companies, shipping agents, and Customs.
Many companies are also dedicated to assisting ships
in entering the port quickly, safely and in line with
environmental regulations. Their activities include the
pilotage of seagoing vessels, the use of towboats,
shipping management, load inspection, environmental inspection, and security.
European distribution centres
The Port of Amsterdam provides excellent links to
the European hinterland, including Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Great Britain, Scandinavia and the
Balkan Nations. As a result, the city of Amsterdam
provides direct access to the millions of consumers in
the European markets, which has attracted a variety
of European distribution centres to the Amsterdam
Port Area, often combined with value-added logistics
centres. Products transported by sea are processed
and/or repackaged here and then transferred to sales
points throughout Europe.
Creative companies
Stadhaven Minerva demonstrates that former port
areas are popular with creative companies: the former
timber port has become an attractive business park.
Its rough industrial look and feel, the view over the
water, the striking and original architectural design
and the short distance (10 minutes by bicycle) to the
city centre provides an inspiring work environment to
a large number of companies operating in the creative
industry, including fashion and media companies, advertising agencies, architectural firms, design companies and IT companies.
Types of jobs
The Port offers a great variety of jobs (and career and
promotional opportunities) for people of all educational levels: in the office, outdoors, on the road or on
the water, blue-collar and white-collar work (or a combination of both), technical, organisational, serviceoriented and creative.
Examples of port jobs include:
n Crane operator
n Warehouse worker
n Technical specialist
n Tugboat captain/engine operator
n Shipping agent
n Inspector
n Administrative assistant
n IT professional
n IT manager
n Logistics manager
n Planner/scheduler
Sales manager
Project manager
n Policy officer
n
n
Training, professional development and
education
The bustling North Sea Canal Area has a great need
for qualified workers. People learn and develop by
acquiring practical experience, taking the appropriate training courses at the appropriate time. There
are many specialised courses and additional training
courses available that support them in this process. You can also choose from a selection of training
courses that will teach you skills you can use in the
port, ranging from preparatory secondary vocational
to university level.
Training courses and professional development
Port logistics: Qualified workers are required to ensure that logistics processes run efficiently. There are
many different training courses and refresher training courses available, including: professional training
in Transport and Logistics, various Customs training
courses, Freight Forwarding, Export, Introduction to
Customs Procedures, and HSE (Health, Safety and the
Environment).
Dangerous Goods: Working with hazardous substances requires specific knowledge. There are various
training courses available for this purpose, including
Dangerous Goods Regulations by Air; Working with
Hazardous Materials; ADR Awareness and Hazardous
Materials Security Adviser.
Communication skills: Besides acquiring new knowledge, it is also important to continue developing your
skills. Specialised skills-training courses meet this
need, including: Communication training for handheld
transceivers; Communication training for Marine VHF
radio; Time Management; Feedback training; Empathy training; Communication, and Effective Influencing
Skills.
Language: People working in an international environment such as a seaport deal with foreign languages
on a daily basis. There are language training courses
available at all levels, including in English, German,
French, Italian, Spanish and Chinese.
Management: Professionally trained managers are
vital to any organisation. You have the option to pursue specialised training courses, including: Practical
Leadership, Project-based Work, Prince2 Foundation,
and Practitioner.
Customised training courses: Each company has
its own unique dynamics and faces different issues
relating to the recruitment, mobility and skills development of new and current employees. Employers requiring customised training and education can contact
the Port College for advice and further guidance. For
more information, please visit www.havencollege.nl.
Training & education
Preparatory secondary vocational education programmes (VMBO): There are several VMBO programmes available in areas that prepare you for employment in the port, including Logistics, Technology
and Economics.
Senior secondary vocational education (MBO): There
are various specific senior secondary vocational
education (MBO) courses available preparing you for
careers in the port, including as an administrative
logistics assistant, crane operator, driver (including
straddle carrier, lift truck/forklift truck, and large and
small transport), welder, order picker, freight for
warder, stevedoring manager, handyman, shipping
agent and port worker/overall inspection.
Higher Professional Education (HBO): HvA Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences is one of several
educational institutions offering Higher Professional
Education (HBO) courses, including in Logistics and/
or Economics. These courses provide a solid basis for
managerial, strategic, policymaking and maritime jobs
in the port area.
University: VU University’s Department of Economics
and Business Economics offers the one-year (Englishlanguage) Master’s programme in Transport & Supply
Chain Management, as a specialisation of the course
in Business Administration. Higher Professional Education students can transfer to the programme after
taking a 1-year pre-Master’s course. You will learn
about the organisation and the design, maintenance,
use and optimisation of freight flows and logistics
services and the related money and information flows,
supply chains and transport networks. The course
also focuses on strategies, processes and cooperation
in these networks. This university course in Logistics
provides an excellent basis for strategic, managerial
and policymaking jobs at logistics companies based in
the port area.
More information about working in the
Port?
Would you like to learn more about jobs in the Port
region? Are you curious to find out about a specific
job? Are you looking for information about training?
Be sure to check:
www.havencollege.nl
The Haven College is a network organisation to which
businesses in the North Sea Canal Area can turn with
questions about Human Resources, education and
vocational training, and recruitment, professional
advancement and departure of current and future
employees.
www.maritiemeacademieholland.nl
At the Maritieme Academie Holland, the Port of Amsterdam, port businesses and maritime educational
institutions in the northern part of the Netherlands
work together to provide education, courses and
training programmes, research and equipment (such
as simulators) serving students and businesses in the
fields of inland navigation, port logistics, maritime
shipping, maritime technology (yacht and shipbuilding) and ocean technology.
Port of Amsterdam - Factsheet Edition 3 - May 2014
Port of Amsterdam P.O. Box 19406, 1000 GK Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Tel: +31 20 523 45 00, E-mail: [email protected],
Website: www.portofamsterdam.com

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