Who is a freight craftsman?
A freight craftsman is a craftsperson or a worker skilled in freight management or closely related field. Freight can be defined as the transportation of bulk goods by ship, train, truck or aircraft. Freight management is the overall process that oversees the transportation of freight. The work of freight craftsmen revolves around packaging, transportation and stacking freight goods in various warehouses or delivery to client’s destinations among other duties.

Other closely related title(s)

1. Freight Handler

What is the work environment?
Freight craftsmen work in both indoor and outdoor environments undertaking various freight activities 

Some important skills to have
To work effectively, freight craftsmen need to have some important skills and qualities such as;

1. Customer service skills in order to offer excellent service to their customers
2. Communication skills to communicate effectively with clients & colleagues
3. Interpersonal skills to relate well with workmates and customers
4. Organization skills to keep freight records and manage various freight projects
5. Problem solving skills in order to handle any unforeseen issues related to freight
6. Among others

What are some career opportunities?
Freight craftsmen can find work in various places such as; clearing and forwarding companies, shipping companies, airline companies, rail transport companies, other businesses and government departments among others.

Freight craftsmen can also use their creativity and start their own profit making ventures (self-employment).

Becoming a freight craftsman:

Admission requirements
To pursue a career as a freight craftsman right from secondary school, a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), mean grade D (plain) and above is required.

Training & Study options
With a KCSE mean grade D (plain) and above, you can proceed to a Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college and enroll for a relevant craft course. Craft courses are also offered within Vocational Training Centers (VTCs) within your region.

So what course(s) can you pursue in TVET colleges?

1. Certificate in freight management
2. Or other similar/ related courses

Education Progression
After a successful completion of a craft certificate course, you can advance your education upward (in a relevant field) up to university level if that’s your goal. How is this possible?

1. Get a craft certificate
2. Advance to diploma certificate, (in a relevant field)
3. Advance to degree certificate, (in a relevant field)

How to Join TVET College.
There are two ways you can follow to join training institution(s) in pursuit of your career of choice. The majority way is applying through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (Kuccps). This is a state owned agency that admits/ places government sponsored students to TVET colleges and universities. One of the advantages of applying through Kuccps is that, upon successful placement, you will pay subsidized fee as a government sponsored student.

To be placed through Kuccps you must have attained a certain pass mark required for various education levels such as degrees, diplomas, certificates and artisan courses. For a craft certificate course, you need a KCSE mean grade D (plain) and above. For more details on placement criteria, visit Kuccps website. The second approach is applying directly to training institution of your choice. Students who opt to apply this way do not get government fee subsidy and are therefore self-sponsored.

How to fund your post-secondary education.
If you are a needy student, upon application, you can get education loan from Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), a state owned institution that gives education loans to students joining technical colleges and universities. You can also access education bursaries from your local Member of Parliament (MP) or the County Government among other sources.

Always remember this!
Information provided on this website is for career awareness only, and not for any other purpose.

We know career life will take a significant part of your life journey, and your career choice will greatly influence how that journey unfolds. Therefore, before you make any career choice, before you commit yourself to any career or study option, be sure of what you are doing. It is advisable to seek professional advice from career advisors to navigate this very important process.

Need more information? We can provide you with additional career and education related information to meet your individual needs.