Logistics training provides opportunity to restart career

November 2, 2021

Jeph Avendano discovered L.O.G.I.C. (Logistics, Operations, General Warehousing and Inventory Control) one day while looking for different food assistance programs.

“I came across the [web] site for the Food Bank of Delaware. I was looking through and saw there were educational programs,” he explained.

The program was exactly what Jeph needed to reenter the warehousing/logistics industry.

“I had been meaning to get back into it,” he said. “I used to work in that field.”

Jeph wasn’t feeling fulfilled doing contract cleaning. “I didn’t want to do this forever. I needed to expand my horizons and get back into what I really enjoyed doing, so I took the opportunity to join the L.O.G.I.C. program,” he explained.

In week seven of the 11-week Delaware Department of Education-certified training program, Jeph and his classmates are working under the guidance of Operations Instructor Joe Cunha to learn how to use major equipment like end riders, lift trucks, order pickers and pallet jacks. The class trains in the warehouse of the Food Bank of Delaware in Newark, and students have the opportunity to become OSHA-10 and forklift certified.

Jeph said the class is the perfect combination of a refresher and a chance to learn new material.

“It’s an excellent program,” he pointed out. “You will learn a lot. You will learn how to do things safely which is the most important thing. It’s a wonderful environment to learn in. You have a clean environment to learn in, and you have different people who will encourage you to do your best.”

Jeph looks forward to the opportunities that await him post-graduation. “I want to do be able to do whatever is needed. If I need to get on a lift or I need to get on a picker to pick something, or I have to get used a scanning system for inventory, I will be ready for all of that,” he said.

In addition to learning the ins and outs of the industry, Jeph and his classmates are also spending time searching for jobs. The internet and laptop access at the Food Bank is especially helpful for him. “They create a way for you to go online,” he explained. “For me, it was very intimidating filling out applications. I used to have to do it on a cell phone. Here you have access to laptop computers, which is way easier than dialing away on your phone.”

The next 11-week L.O.G.I.C. training program at the Food Bank of Delaware in Newark begins on December 6. Applications are currently being accepted for the free program. Jeph encourages others who are looking for a new opportunity to apply.

“It’s a wonderful program,” he said. “You have good instructors. I appreciate the staff that works here, [including the] warehouse staff. They are very helpful. There are plenty of opportunities to learn here.”

To learn more about L.O.G.I.C., please click here.