Aviation Logistics Internship in the UAE Report

Introduction

The internship program gives students a significant chance to gain hands-on experience and enhance their skills. Besides, the program acts as an excellent opportunity for students to showcase their skills and develop strategic thinking capabilities. This report focuses on an internship program in the field of aviation logistics for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Army.

The reason for selecting the UAE army is because it has multiple branches across the Middle East. Therefore, working at the logistics department allowed me to learn multiple aspects of procurement management associate with diverse cultures. I take this opportunity to thank the Chief of Aviation Logistics for giving me a chance to work in his department. Besides, I would also like to thank the staff members of the department of aviation logistics who dedicated their time to teach me. The report will discuss the activities and duties that I undertook during my period as a trainee in the department. The report will be split into two parts:

Portfolio Report

Professional Field of Organization

The UAE army was founded in 1976. The army is regarded as one of the oldest institutions in the United Arab Emirates. The aviation department was established in 1968. It was intended to facilitate the distribution of supplies to military personnel in different parts of the country. Later, the UAE army procured state-of-the-art technology and equipment to enhance the capacity of the logistics department. The department handles purchasing, transporting and training the military personnel in how to use varied tools. The logistics department liaises with private institutions to guarantee the procurement of quality and cost-friendly military supplies. Currently, the UAE military has a smooth joint logistics and communication platform that is intended to establish synergy among the army, navy and air force.

Organization and Department Objectives

The primary purpose of the aviation logistics department is to supply competent, responsive, and adaptable military personnel and equipment that can yield positive results. The department is mandated to supply the requisite combat support to all military personnel. The aviation logistics of the UAE army uses modern technology and concepts to maintain and improve military dominance. The department endeavors to overcome every hurdle by creating novel logistical systems. Indeed, the department is in the process of modernizing the UAE armed forces. It aims at guaranteeing that the army is capable of surmounting any artificial or natural catastrophe. During the internship, I worked under the supervision of the logistics manager. The logistics manager reports to the chief of aviation logistics who is the overall leader of the department of aviation logistics. The logistics department comes up with new responsibilities based on the demands of the army.

Organizational Structure and Duties

Organizational Structure

Organizational Role

Personal Role and Position

As a trainee in the department of aviation logistics, I was supposed to supervise the procurement and shipment of varied military resources. I served as an assistant logistics specialist. I was also responsible for keeping records of all purchased goods and guaranteeing that supplies reach the intended destination on time. As an assistant logistics specialist, I had the duty to inspect all the goods before they are shipped to different destinations. The inspection was designed to minimize shipment and procurement errors. I also worked closely with other employees in the department. I was also responsible for ensuring that the department of aviation logistics utilizes the available resources efficiently and that there was no wastage.

Student Objectives

The primary goals and targets were to:

• Acquire novel skills and experience that can be of significant help in my future career.
• Have hands-on experience in procurement, shipment, and distribution of products.
• Gain knowledge of how to plan, evaluate, organize and manage logistical processes in a big organization.
• Apply the knowledge acquired in class and understand the factors that impede efficient procurement and distribution of capital goods.
• Work independently in a workplace setting

Activities Report

Events Table

The logistics manager came up with a schedule of the activities based on the objectives and goals of the internship program. I worked closely with the logistics manager to guarantee that the actions matched my goals. The table below outlines the activities that I undertook during the internship period. The internship program lasted for four weeks.

Table 6.1 – General internship placement schedule

Week-by-Week Activities

Week 1-2

I worked in the recordkeeping section for the first two weeks. Here, I was responsible for organizing past procurement records. I was also mandated with identifying, sorting and storing data. Besides, I had the responsibility of assessing the vulnerability of the recordkeeping system that the department used.

Week 3-4

I spent the next two weeks in the procurement section. In this section, I was supposed to identify the products that should be purchased and organize them based on their urgency. Besides, I participated in filling the purchase orders. I was also responsible for approving payments of delivered products.

Week 5-6

I spent the fifth and sixth weeks in the cargo and container scheduling section. The section entails organizing for the shipment of containers to different destinations. I was supposed to inform the procurement officers of the different branches about the shipment of their supplies.

Week 7

I served in the container inspection section during the last week. The container inspection section deals with examining the containers to ensure that they have the right products. Besides, it deals with receiving and certifying the products that the suppliers deliver.

Activities About Record Keeping

Organizing past procurement Records

The first two weeks of the internship program entailed record keeping. I was instructed to organize records that had not been sorted correctly. I had to arrange the records according to the date and type of procurement. The person responsible for recordkeeping had been sick for two weeks. Hence, there was a backlog of records that required being sorted and filed accordingly. I spent most of the time organizing the procurement records.

Identifying, Grouping, and Storing Data

After identifying and classifying records according to date and type of procurement, I was supposed to put them in the right files and hoard in the relevant cabinets. Document filing and storage require skills in record keeping. Thus, I had to seek the assistance of the logistics manager. It was hard to identify the correct records since I was not conversant with the filing system that the department used. However, after working for two hours with the logistics manager, I was able to classify and file all the documents without challenges.

Assessing potential threats to records

Apart from organizing past procurement documents and storing data, I also helped to assess potential threats to records. Organizational records are prone to damage and displacement. Therefore, I was mandated to determine the vulnerability of the data stored by the department of aviation logistics.

Activities About Procurement Management

Identifying Products to Purchase

The department of aviation logistics purchases products based on prices and urgency. Therefore, I identified the products that the army required urgently. After determining the products that needed to be purchased, I would liaise with the logistics manager to prepare the purchase orders.

Filling Purchase Order

Organizations use purchase orders to request products from the suppliers. One should be careful when filling a purchase order to ensure that they order the right products. Besides, one should ensure that they order the right quantity of goods. During the internship program, I helped in filling requisitions as well as reviewing them to ensure that they meet the needs of every branch of the army.

Approving Payment of Supplier

Before paying for supplies, procurement officers should ensure that they have received the right amount of products. I had to ensure that the delivered products tallied with what was on the invoice before approving their payment. In case the products delivered did not tally with the quantities on the invoice, I had to request the supplier to supply the missing goods before they are paid.

Cargo and Container Scheduling

Examining Cargos and Containers before Shipment

Once the ordered products reach the army base, they are shipped to different branches. First, the products are sorted based on the orders of individual branches. Therefore, I ensured that cargos are sent to the correct destination.

Container Inspection

Container inspection entails examining the products delivered by the suppliers. It also entails sorting products according to the needs of the individual branch. The activities carried out at the inspection determine the efficiency of a logistics firm.

Analysis and Conclusion

The internship program allows students to put into practice what they learn in class. Besides, it gives the learners hands-on experience and prepares them to assume responsibilities as workers in the future. The following are the strengths and weaknesses of aviation logistics.

I benefited from the internship program and would encourage other learners to ensure that they enroll in the program before they complete their studies.

Academic Report

How Internship Relates to Field of Study

The internship program relates to my field of study in different ways. Currently, I am undertaking a course in logistics management. Therefore, the internship relates to the area of study in the following manner:

• Procurement management
• Record management services

Procurement Management

Procurement entails the purchase of products and services from external sources. On the other hand, supply management involves ensuring that an institution acquires the right goods or services at a reasonable cost. Through the internship, I gained an insight into the challenges that procurement managers have to grapple with in their daily duties. Besides, the internship program allowed me to understand the potential risks that logistics firms face. I learned different economic analysis methods that facilitate decision making during procurement processes. In the logistics management course, students learn about two categories of procurement activities. They are direct and indirect procurement. The internship program accorded me a chance to have hands-on experience in the management of indirect procurement procedures.

Record Management Services

Record management services refer to the practice of governing and managing crucial data of organizations. File management services entail storing, classifying, retrieving, prioritizing, and tracking data. File management is an integral component of aviation logistics. Numerous factors are considered before saving or destroying records. One of the factors is the value of the record. Logistics firms keep records to prove that transactions took place. During the internship, I learned different terminologies used in document management. In the field of logistics management, students are taught that organizations use file controls to access and share data. I happened to have a firsthand experience in how file controls function. There are different methods of record management. Some organizations have record repositories where they keep all their data. Besides, the organizations hire clerks or assign some employees the task of file management. Most companies have central locations where all their data is stored. Others have the locations strewn across different departments.

Record management services include setting policies and assigning duties to different employees. It also entails organizing the information requirements of an institution. The success of a logistics company depends on effective record management. A company ought to train its employees in how to manage, retrieve and dispose of obsolete records. A majority of organizations have poor record management strategies because they consider it unnecessary. Institutions should know that employees have the obligation to manage organizational records. The growth of social media platforms has made it difficult for organizations to maintain files. Social media enables workers and agencies to create and share documents rapidly. At times, employees share anonymous records making it hard for managers to trace its origin.

The theoretical studies facilitated the completion of the internship. In class, we learned about recordkeeping and retrieval techniques. Therefore, I had skills in record retrieval that came in handy when serving in the recordkeeping capacity. It was easy to retrieve and organize procurement documents based on their date and value. Besides, skills acquired in the theoretical studies helped to identify and prioritize procurement processes. The lecturer had taught us how to organize procurement procedures based on urgency. Consequently, I was able to evaluate the needs of different branches of the army and schedule the procurement procedures based on the urgency and importance of the supplies. On the other hand, the theoretical studies gave us insight into cargo scheduling and supply management techniques. Therefore, I encountered limited challenges in scheduling the shipment of supplies to various destinations. It was easy to liaise with varied army branches and monitor goods on transit.

Undertaking and Completing Internship

The internship was undertaken by serving in various capacities within the department of aviation logistics. During the internship program, I had a chance to help in record keeping. I also participated in procurement management and cargo and container scheduling. The primary goals of the internship program were to:

• Acquire new expertise and experience that can be of considerable help in my future career.
• Have hands-on experience in procurement, consignment, and allotment of products.
• Gain knowledge of how to plan, appraise, organize and run logistical processes in a big organization.
• Use the knowledge acquired in class and understand the factors that impede efficient procurement and distribution of capital goods.
• Work autonomously in a workplace setting

Experiences and Benefits Earned

I amassed vast experience in the field of recordkeeping during the first two weeks. Among the benefits earned during the internship program included:

1. Skills in developing and capturing records
2. Management of recordkeeping systems
3. Records risk evaluation, prevention, and recovery.
4. Data classification and security assignment
5. The internship also helped to enhance communication skills

As a procurement management assistant, one acquires varied skills and benefits. The advantages and experiences acquired during the internship included:

1. Procurement optimization skills
2. Preparation and completion of purchase orders
3. Supplier assessment and contract formulation
4. Identification and resolution of supplier performance challenges

During the fourth week, I engaged in cargo and container scheduling. Under this capacity, I had a chance to gain skills in:

1. Development of cargo scheduling forms
2. Tracking freight shipment
3. Developing and updating the container arrival file

Problems and Challenges

I encountered numerous challenges during the internship program. We had not learned the different acronyms and terminologies used in the department of aviation logistics. Therefore, I had difficulties in understanding most acronyms and terms used in recordkeeping, procurement management, and cargo scheduling and shipment procedures. The department of aviation logistics of the United Arab Emirates army is ever busy due to the high demand for military supplies in the country. Therefore, it was hard to keep a tab on the multiple supplies since I had not worked in such a busy firm before. Apart from the challenges in understanding the acronyms, it was also hard to acclimatize to the speed and accuracy needed in the organization. A majority of military supplies are required for efficient service delivery. Hence, they are supposed to be delivered on time. Failure to provide the correct supplies to an army base may have devastating effects. Logistics officers ought to be thorough when ordering and shipping military supplies. It was hard to deliver supplies quickly and maintain the required level of accuracy.

The success of logistics firms depends on effective communication between the officials endowed with the responsibility of managing the different phases of the procurement procedure. It was hard to communicate with various officials of the department of aviation logistics. Besides, I did not have an idea of how information flows within the department. Thus, I had to rely on the logistics manager. The duration allocated to each activity was not adequate. For instance, I did not learn all aspects of recordkeeping due to time constraints. Procurement management entails numerous procedures. However, I could not participate in all the procedures due to limited time. Time management was a significant challenge throughout the internship period.

Handling Challenges

The logistics manager helped me to learn the different acronyms and terminologies used in aviation logistics. The manager provided a guidebook that described all the acronyms and difficult terms. To cope with the required procurement speed and accuracy, I worked closely with the procurement officer. Besides, I took the time to learn what the officer was doing to enhance speed. After three days, I was able to improve my ordering and distribution rate. I interacted with diverse officials in the department as a way to overcome the communication barrier. I also studied the structure of the department to understand how information flows. Within a short duration, I integrated into the system and could communicate efficiently. I mainly focused on crucial activities due to time constraints. My objective was to have an insight into all essential activities that guarantee the success of logistics processes.

Learning Experiences and Outcomes

I gained immense skills during the internship program at the department of aviation logistics. The internship program was an eye-opener to a majority of the lessons taught in class. I had a chance to exercise what is taught in class. Besides, I had an opportunity to interact with people from diverse cultural backgrounds, which boosted intercultural communication skills. The internship program helped me to understand the procedures that institutions follow when procuring products. Previously, I assumed that the procurement process entailed communicating with suppliers and organizing for the shipment of products. However, the internship program made me realize that the procurement process involves numerous activities that complement each other. I also learned the importance of the department of logistics to an organization. Moreover, I acquired novel skills that will be of great help to my future career. The internship program challenged me to acquire more skills in aviation logistics. Consequently, I have embarked on an intensive study of aviation logistics. The objective is to ensure that I have adequate knowledge in aviation logistics before I complete studies. My dream is to work at air logistics after school. Thus, I will ensure that I have adequate skills in this industry before I leave school.