Award for top graduates

2,009 young graduates successfully completed their training as freight forwarding and logistics services clerks in winter 2020/2021. 64 of them performed particularly well: They achieved a 1 before the decimal point in their final report. Those who achieve this have good chances for a successful career in the industry – and can apply for a special award: The title “Young Freight Forwarder Germany”. The DSLV Federal Association of Freight Forwarding and Logistics awards this title every year together with the Deutsche Verkehrs-Zeitung (DVZ). Six top young professionals are invited to the DSLV office in Berlin, where they can prove their logistics talent with their well thought-out approach to solving a complex logistics task. This year, however, this selection round had to take place online as an exception due to corona conditions.

The seven-member high-calibre panel, since this year supported by a vocational school teacher, assesses whether the proposal is creative and considers alternatives in the solution. In addition, a self-confident and communicative appearance is required – as if they were convincing customers of their solutions. “All applicants are exceptional. In the end, nuances decide who wins,” explains Tatjana Kronenbürger, Head of Qualification and Vocational Training at the DSLV. In her experience, all applicants bring not only knowledge, but a great passion for the industry. “Many of the winners from previous years already have a promising career.

This year, the task to be solved was the question of how to transfer high-quality cars from Stuttgart to Dakar in Senegal and to Kigali in Rwanda as quickly, sustainably and cost-effectively as possible – the candidates were to present their approach in no more than ten minutes. Among other things, the jury paid attention to whether complicated legal regulations, such as customs and dangerous goods regulations, were taken into account.

Maximilian Drüschler from the Friedrich Zufall freight forwarding company finally won the competition: the 23-year-old can now call himself “Young Freight Forwarder Germany 2021” and compete for Germany as the national winner in the Young International Freight Forwarder of the Year Award of the world freight forwarding organisation FIATA. The win also includes a voucher worth 2,000 euros for further training measures to expand professional skills. Behind the winner – as usually behind all successful graduates – is a company that is intensively committed to the topic of training. “Of course, the competition is not least intended to encourage companies to continue training and to commit themselves to the next generation,” says Kronenbürger. “We need the skilled workers, and forwarding and logistics service clerks in particular are very important for our industry.”

The DSLV has been awarding the prize, which was called the “Forwarding and Logistics Award for Young Talent” until 2019, since 2006. “Many former participants report that their placement was very strongly perceived not only in their own company, but also by competitors and also by customer companies. This has given a boost in terms of recognition and thus a career boost,” says Tatjana Kronenbürger. In addition, a strong network has grown, which many alumni experience as a further benefit. Over the years, the quality of the solutions and the candidates’ performances has remained constant: “The young generation in our industry is motivated and willing to perform. Every year, all the jury members are thrilled to meet such interested and self-confident personalities: In their early 20s, some of them have already been abroad, are involved in voluntary work – and above all, they are firmly established in life, have arrived in their professions, some have already been promoted in their own companies or have concrete prospects for the next career stage. That is really impressive.