The Dormant Accounts Fund is funding a project to train young people at Oberstown in the skills required to work in the warehousing and logistics sector, including training in working with forklift and pallet trucks.
Oberstown is partnering with Jungheinrich, a German multinational long established in Ireland, which supplies complete solutions for warehouses, including racking and truck systems.
This project aims to improve young people’s job prospects by providing them with practical qualifications and skills that are in demand across a wide range of industries. The training experience can also foster a sense of personal accomplishment and pride in mastering specialised skills.
The project to develop the Oberstown Forklift Training Licence and Training Centre started in 2023, with the focus on preparatory work to ensure the on-campus training facility meets health and safety and industry standards. Training of young people will start in 2024.
Key milestones to date include:
- Testing and approving a disused building space on campus as the site for the Oberstown forklift training centre, following confirmation that it can take the weight of the required forklifts.
- Purchasing equipment including a forklift counter-balance truck, forklift stacker truck and a power pallet truck.
- Sourcing and installing specialist racking systems.
- Developing protocols, procedures and training policies for the new training centre.
