The UNCTAD TrainForTrade programme offers port professionals opportunities for training, networking and knowledge sharing.

Jacqueline Paredes Corrales, a Peruvian port manager and industrial engineer, has transformed her professional life by taking part in training workshops conducted by the UNCTAD TrainForTrade port management programme.

The expert in logistics, commercial operations and more recently, social responsibility and sustainable development, took a course in modern port management in 2017, a training-of-trainers workshop in 2019 and she’s set to participate in a similar workshop in October.

"I always seek to get the most out of the courses," Ms. Corrales said. “They empower me to scale greater heights.”

Thanks to the workshops, she has found a new direction for her career: a specialization in promoting sustainability at Peru’s Matarani port.

This year she was promoted to the role of head of social development at the port, where she’s in charge of developing and directing social sustainability strategies and projects. 

The port has also benefitted from her participation in the workshops. It won the Americas 2021 Award organized by the Inter-American Committee on Ports of the Organization of American States, thanks to the tireless work of Ms. Corrales and her colleagues.

Committed to sustainability

During her training, Ms. Corrales looked at sustainable development between the Matarani port and its area of direct influence, the people and businesses impacted by the port, as her case study.

“My best experience on the course was the presentation of my case study,” she said. She obtained one of the highest grades in the course by showcasing the port’s efforts to promote sustainability. 

Her success during the training inspired her to replicate, jointly with local authorities, the port management course at the national level in Peru, based on materials developed by UNCTAD. 

Ms. Corrales also benefitted from experiences abroad, especially in Europe, where she learned best practices from more developed ports.

She met and exchanged knowledge with other port professionals, one of the key aspects of the TrainForTrade port management programme.

“The memory and experience that I still carry with me is the networking I was able to do and the great professionals I met, who became great friends in a few weeks,” she said.

She also learned about the Women's International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA), which promotes diversity in the maritime industry, transport and logistics sector, empowering women.

To top things off, she became the director of the social responsibility committee of WISTA Peru after being an active member for two years.

Capitalizing on partnerships

Peru’s ports are going through several transformations and the port community is capitalizing on partnerships and experiences from the TrainForTrade port management programme.

It’s developing new opportunities in line with environmental protection and the needs of local populations, while sustainably securing supply chains and the economy of Peru amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The TrainForTrade port management programme remains crucial to the development of the port world. It offers opportunities for training, networking and knowledge sharing, which give great value to the professionals in the port management world.