L.O.G.I.C. class leads to exciting new career: ship controller
July 31, 2024
When Shawn Garrett signed up for the first L.O.G.I.C. class offered at the Food Bank of Delaware’ s new Milford facility, his goal wasn’t specifically to work in a warehouse. “I was almost desperate,” said the 56-year-old Rehoboth-area resident. He needed a job. The career editor was downsized during the COVID-19 pandemic, and he moved from Maryland to Delaware hoping to find work.
With that in mind, he enrolled in the L.OG.I.C. class. “I knew I didn’t want to work in food service, and I thought warehouse training might get my foot in the door. It was a good logical choice,” he said.
L.O.G.I.C. (Logistics, Operations, General Warehousing and Inventory Control) is a 14-week training program, certified as a trade school by the Delaware Department of Education, that prepares students for careers in the warehousing/logistics industry. Under the guidance of an Operations Instructor, students train in the warehouses of the Food Bank of Delaware in Newark and Milford. Students receive 444 hours of training and work experience over the course of 14 weeks.
So, Shawn, successfully completed the training he describes as “enjoyable, interesting, and worth my time,” but along the way a job posting caught his eye: the job he calls a “ship traffic controller” — as in air traffic controller – falls under the auspices of the Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River and Bay, a Philadelphia-based trade organization.
His work hours are also a bit unusual: two 8-hour shifts and two 12-hour shifts each week. The longer shifts, 5 p.m. to 5 a.m., are Friday and Saturday, and that schedule was emphasized during the first interview for the job as part of the deal. “There is some training involved for this, and they didn’t want to waste that time, but I have no problem. I don’t have a wife and kids,” Shawn said.
In addition to the L.O.G.I.C. training, he believes his background doing detailed work and his computer skills served as assets. And although he’s not working in a warehouse or using a pallet jack, he noted there’s a connection. “The second part of the class was about beyond the basics, about the purpose of warehousing and shipping. It turned out to be useful; it came up in the interview. It was a nice crossover that I didn’t expect,” Shawn said.
So, where’s Shawn’s office? He works in “the tower” near the Point in Cape Henlopen State Park.
“That’s part of the attraction,” he claims. “I climb three flights of a spiral staircase inside the World War II tower. My office has the best view in Delaware: I see all the bay, the ocean, all the way to New Jersey. I see the sunrise on weekends. It’s pretty spectacular up there. I lucked out because it really suits my personality, too.”
The next L.O.G.I.C. classes start in Milford and Newark in September. Click here to learn more or register.
