Consistent growth in the economy has brought the world closer, and has fuelled the growth of an important segment that helps ensure mobility — logistics sector.

According to a Frost & Sullivan report in 2011, the Indian logistics market, which grew at about 9.2 per cent to touch revenues of $82.1 billion in 2010, is likely to grow to $200 billion by 2020.

Yet, this sector has more or less remained in the background as far as students are concerned.

Mr A.V. Reddy, Executive Director of Transocean Express Logistics, said that he estimated the shortfall of manpower at the management level at about 30-40 per cent. “For international businesses, we are unable to get skilled manpower. And even if we get them, the cost is often too high. So, we take management trainees and build a cadre,” he said.

In an effort to introduce students to this sector, T2P Consultants Ltd, in collaboration with Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, India, has launched the Logistics Talent Hunt 2012.

According to Mr Vipul Singh, Head of Department (Marketing) at K.R. Mangalam Institute of Management, the sector does not attract many students.

He said after the talent hunt event, interest had gone up and about 40 per cent and students now seemed interested in joining the sector. Dr Veni Mathur, a transport economist and faculty at IIT-Delhi, stressed the need for logistics companies to make themselves more visible. “There is a lag between practical and theoretical training at B-schools. More in-depth teaching of supply chains is required in colleges,” she added. Quoting a McKinsey report, Mr Prem Prakash, Director of T2P Consultants, said that the industry would need over 20 million skilled personnel by 2020, up from less than 10 million today, to function smoothly.

>aesha.datta@thehindu.co.in

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