Port school VTI Zeebrugge concluded a partnership with distributor of forklifts and port equipment Van den Dorpe and its training centre Brevet. In exchange for state-of-the-art teaching equipment for the school, Brevet is establishing a local training hub there.
Port school VTI Zeebrugge welcomes partnership with two companies in the sector that complement each other. Van den Dorpe/Heavy Handling from Oudenaarde and Kallo sells and rents forklifts and warehouse equipment to heavy industrial port equipment. With over a hundred employees, it is an exclusive distributor of the brands Linde (West, East Flanders and Mouscron), Konecranes (Belux) and Mantsinen (Benelux and France).
Under the umbrella of Van den Dorpe, there is also the Safety & Education Center Brevet training centre in Oudenaarde. It organises individual and group training courses for operating forklift trucks, reach trucks and aerial work platforms.
Latest equipment
“The new logistics training centre at Havenschool VTI Zeebrugge will be used by Brevet as a local hub for certified company training courses to become forklift operators,” says school director Joke Knockaert. “In return, our logistics students will have the opportunity to use the latest equipment. This prepares them even better for their future careers in the logistics sector.”
After the Easter holidays, the youngsters can immediately start working with a brand new forklift, reach truck and stacker. The state-of-the-art teaching equipment was delivered via special transport by Van den Dorpe and received by logistics teachers Elien Vandendriessche, René Wellecomme, Philippe Lefief and Kris Debuck (see photo).
Co-investing
“It is essential to invest in the training and development of young talent in the logistics sector,” says Dignum Bossuyt of Van den Dorpe and Safety & Education Centre Brevet. “By working with educational institutions such as Havenschool VTI Zeebrugge, we can ensure that future employees have the necessary skills and expertise.”
Secondary school Vrij Technisch Instituut (VTI) Zeebrugge has been training young people for years for positions in transport and logistics – including truck driver – and since 2023 has been the first in Flanders to profile itself as Havenschool VTI Zeebrugge. This school year, new targeted courses were added and the collaboration with companies in the sector was further expanded.
