96396-Occupational Certificate: Freight Handler-NQF 3 /122 Credits

This qualification equips learners with the fundamental skills to handle freight safely and efficiently within a warehouse, distribution, or transport environment. It covers loading, offloading, sorting, packing, and securing freight while adhering to health, safety and operational standards.

A qualified learner will be able to:

• Demonstrates receiving of freight.
• Demonstrates allocation of freight for storage and control of stock.
• Prepares and ensures the picking of freight for loading/off-loading processes according to specified procedures.

Reconciles and dispatches freight according to the legislation.

This qualification reflects workplace-based needs in the wider Freight Handling Industry, both now and in the future. Freight Handling is diverse in nature, therefore a fairly wide range of competencies are required by employees. The qualification aims to provide the foundational and initial skills required for an individual in the industry to handle freight successfully; be an effective team member; and to undertake those tasks required to contribute to the effective processing of freight.


The Occupational Certificate in Freight Handling provides a learning opportunity for learners who wish to pursue and advance a career in the movement of goods and ensure that freight is handled safely and in an efficient way. The qualification prepares learners for employment opportunities within the broader freight transport industry, which includes a variety of settings, such as, warehouses, factories, ports, rail and airports. Knowledge obtained will be useful within various goods handling environments. This qualification offer learners an opportunity to further their studies in a variety of specialist areas within the transport sector. Areas of specialisation include the following:

• Containers Handling.
• Stevedoring.
• Bulk Operations.
• Port Operations.
• Airline Ground Crew.
• Courier Services.
• Pipeline.
• Warehousing and Distributions.

On-the-job experience can progressively lead to positions of more responsibility in the safe handling of goods and freight.

This qualification will serve to promote safe and successful transportation of dangerous goods by multi-modes of transport (sea, road, air and rail) and aims to promote professionalism, work ethics and good governance within learners. 

Entry Requirements:
Learners are required to have an NQF Level 2 qualification in order to be considered for admission.