Shipping agent to forwarding manager
A shipping agent already meets 28% of what the forwarding manager role asks for. The move turns on 18 required skills not yet in the profile.
76.5/ 100
1 How much of what a forwarding manager is expected to do is already part of a shipping agent’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the forwarding manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A forwarding manager role treats 6 of its required skills as things a shipping agent already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse shipping rates
- book cargo
- coordinate export transportation activities
- coordinate import transportation activities
- make bids in forward auctions
- prepare bills of lading
What stands in the way is 18 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A forwarding manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a shipping agent background worth leading with.
- already held book cargo communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held make bids in forward auctions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held prepare bills of lading information skills
- already held provide advice to clients in terms of export restrictions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held provide advice to clients in terms of import restrictions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held keep up-to-date to current customs regulations information skills
All 15 carried skills, including the 6 the forwarding manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 33 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn assess carriers required
- still to learn develop efficiency plans for logistics operations required
- still to learn manage carriers required
- still to learn manage freight payment methods required
- still to learn oversee cargo storage requirements required
- still to learn plan transport operations required
- still to learn manage medium term objectives required
- still to learn oversee shipment routing required
- still to learn plan medium to long term objectives required
- optional, not held set import export strategies optional
- optional, not held create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement optional
- still to learn communicate with shipment forwarders required
- still to learn foster relationships with various types of carrier required
- still to learn implement short term objectives required
- optional, not held implement cost-effective cargo handling strategies on ships optional
- optional, not held negotiate logistics services optional
- optional, not held work in a logistics team optional
- optional, not held adapt to changing situations optional
- optional, not held communicate commercial and technical issues in foreign languages optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held negotiate price optional
- optional, not held negotiate service with providers optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
- still to learn analyse supply chain trends required
- still to learn develop transportation cost metrics required
- still to learn prepare documentation for international shipping required
- optional, not held analyse work-related written reports optional
- still to learn inspect carrier documents required
- still to learn non vessel operating common carrier regulations required
- optional, not held ensure legal accreditation for forwarding agent operations optional
- still to learn supply chain management required
- optional, not held principles of cargo stowage optional
- optional, not held freight transport methods optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a forwarding manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 inspect carrier documents practise this
- 02 non vessel operating common carrier regulations practise this
- 03 analyse supply chain trends practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held analyse shipping rates skill
- already held book cargo skill
- already held coordinate export transportation activities skill
- already held coordinate import transportation activities skill
- already held make bids in forward auctions skill
- already held prepare bills of lading skill
- already held administer multi-modal logistics skill
- already held apply procedures to ensure cargo complies with customs regulations skill
- already held control trade commercial documentation skill
- already held create import-export commercial documentation skill
- already held handle shipment paperwork skill
- already held keep up-to-date to current customs regulations skill
- already held liaise with transportation services skill
- already held provide advice to clients in terms of export restrictions skill
- already held provide advice to clients in terms of import restrictions skill
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ensure legal accreditation for forwarding agent operations optional
- optional, not held implement cost-effective cargo handling strategies on ships optional
- optional, not held negotiate logistics services optional
- optional, not held principles of cargo stowage optional
- optional, not held set import export strategies optional
- optional, not held work in a logistics team optional
- optional, not held adapt to changing situations optional
- optional, not held analyse work-related written reports optional
- optional, not held communicate commercial and technical issues in foreign languages optional
- optional, not held create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement optional
- optional, not held freight transport methods optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held negotiate price optional
- optional, not held negotiate service with providers optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
10 held skills the forwarding manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role comply with regulations related to export in different countries skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with port regulations skill
- not needed by the target role inspect freight skill
- not needed by the target role international import export regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role keep written records of cargo skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with port users skill
- not needed by the target role manage import export licenses skill
- not needed by the target role observe freight shipment loaders skill
- not needed by the target role oversee arrival and departure of ships into port skill
- not needed by the target role port regulation knowledge
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn supply chain management required
- optional, not held principles of cargo stowage optional
- optional, not held freight transport methods optional
Common questions about this move
Can a shipping agent become a forwarding manager?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A shipping agent already covers 28% of what a forwarding manager is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 6 of which the forwarding manager role treats as required.
What skills does a shipping agent need to become a forwarding manager?
18 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is inspect carrier documents.
How hard is the move from shipping agent to forwarding manager?
Its learning distance is 76.5 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.