14-07-2022
(Left to right): Andre Fernando - Treasurer SLFFA, Channa Gunawardena - Vice Chairman SLFFA, Dinesh Sri Chandrasekara - Chairman SLFFA, Rishantha Mendis – Chairman YoungShip, Nirmal Dissanayake – Secretary YoungShip, Prashan Fernando – Treasurer YoungShip
In a bold move to further improve the standards of the maritime and shipping industry in Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Logistics and Freight Forwarders Association (SLFFA) has signed a key initiative with YoungShip Sri Lanka recently, which signifies the two organisations’ commitment to working towards advancing the future of the industry by creating a younger, more inclusive, and collaborative professional atmosphere that allows young maritime professionals to actively participate in the industry early on in their careers by providing a range of professional hands-on experience and training opportunities.
Recognised as the apex organisation that represents the Sri Lankan freight forwarding and logistics industry to the world, SLFFA signed the MoU to support YoungShip Sri Lanka – a non-profit organisation founded with the mission to support young members of the maritime and shipping industry – to help represent themselves as the premiere youth forum of the younger generation of the SLFFA membership in Sri Lanka.
Established in 1981, the mission of SLFFA is to create an avenue for freight forwarders and logistics service providers while aiming to institutionalise and professionalise the trade operations. Relatively, its younger counterpart, YoungShip Sri Lanka, which was established in 2013, is recognized as the Sri Lankan branch of YoungShip International – a world-renowned professional non-profit organisation for young people working within the global maritime industry.
The collaboration between SLFFA and YoungShip provides opportunities for knowledge sharing between youth and experienced professionals, event planning and organization, and engagement in critical projects related to the maritime and shipping industry. The partnership is expected to ensure that younger leadership can leverage innovation, creativity, technology and fresh perspectives to inject a brand-new thought pattern to further ongoing established processes to improve the industry’s current best practices.
The youth organization welcomes members (between the age of 20 to 40) from all areas of the industry (from students to established professionals) who share the passion and belief that young people are the most significant constituents to ensuring growth and ongoing success for the industry. Through this venture, the parties are confident in uplifting more youth professionals involved in the maritime and shipping industry, to be actively involved in the development and professionalize the industry towards a brighter future in the years to come.