Major trends, such as digitalization, automation, and sustainability, will shape the future of the logistics industry. As a result, qualifications required in the professional field will change, but demand for logistics professionals with a university degree will also increase. Study choice motives are not only fundamental to whether someone completes an education and later works in the sector but also influence the development of professional competences and hence professional success. Following general motivation theories, study choice motives can be divided into intrinsic, extrinsic, and altruistic motives. However, it is not individual motives that are crucial for the decision to study a particular degree programme but the interplay of several motives.
Because there is only sparse research on logistics students’ study choice motives and students at universities of applied sciences (UAS) who are assigned different study choice motives than students at universities, the objectives of this paper are twofold: to explore the study choice motives and career expectations of logistics students at the UAS BFI Vienna and to propose measures for the logistics industry, tertiary institutions, and politics to encourage more young people to pursue a career in logistics. For the online survey, a questionnaire based on existing instruments was compiled and adapted to the study subject. Findings suggest that understanding motives for pursuing a career in logistics is a multidimensional problem requiring taking a wide range of motives into account. In conclusion, the motives identified in this study provide valuable starting points for designing measures to arouse interest in logistics.

Authors:
Sandra Eitler, University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna, Austria
Reinhold Schodl, University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna, Austria

About the Presenter(s)
Professor Sandra Eitler is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna in Austria

See this presentation on the full schedule – Thursday Schedule

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