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Warehouse & Inventory Operations: Stores, Stock Control and Distribution

Run a store or warehouse where the records match the shelves: layout and locations, receiving, stock records, picking and dispatch, counts and variances, reorder levels, expiry and loss prevention, and the safety duties of a supervisor.

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About this course

Distributors, manufacturers, supermarkets, pharma wholesalers, e-commerce fulfilment centres and project yards all need people who can control stock, and every business owner whose goods 'just disappear' needs the same skills. This course teaches warehouse and inventory work from the ground up. You will learn how a warehouse flows from receiving to dispatch, how to lay out zones and label locations, how to receive goods against a purchase order and record a goods received note, how to keep stock records that match the shelves and avoid the carton-versus-piece trap, how to pick, pack and dispatch accurately first-expiry-first-out, how to plan stock takes and cycle counts and investigate variances before adjusting, how to set reorder levels and safety stock with ABC analysis, how to manage expiry, damage, returns and theft, what a supervisor must do to keep people safe around racking and forklifts, and how to report the numbers finance and management need. Every lesson follows a new inventory officer at a fictional Lagos FMCG distributor. Free, like every Skillnaija course.

On her first Monday as inventory officer at Mainland FMCG Distributors, Adaeze Okafor finds three messages waiting. Mrs Eze in finance wants to know why the stock report shows 60 cartons of washing powder in the Ikeja warehouse when the last count found 48. Kings Mart, a supermarket customer, says last week's delivery was 4 cartons of noodles short. And Mr Bayo Ogunleye, the warehouse manager, has left a note on her desk: 'Walk the whole warehouse with Musa before you touch any figure.' Adaeze spent two years selling these products. She knows what they cost and who buys them. What she does not yet know is how a carton travels from a supplier's truck to a customer's shelf, and at which points it can quietly disappear.

What you'll learn

Course syllabus — 10 lessons

  1. What a warehouse and inventory team does15 min
  2. Layout, locations and storage16 min
  3. Receiving and put-away16 min
  4. Stock records that match the shelves16 min
  5. Picking, packing and dispatch16 min
  6. Counting: cycle counts, stock takes and variances17 min
  7. Inventory planning: ABC, reorder levels and safety stock16 min
  8. Expiry, damage, returns and loss prevention16 min
  9. Warehouse safety and people16 min
  10. KPIs, reporting, careers and the project17 min

Your project

Your Inventory Control Pack

One document (Google Doc with view access, or an uploaded Word or PDF file) with a headed section for each of the six parts, plus a link to or upload of the spreadsheet from Parts 3 to 5. Fictional data only.

Certificates on Skillnaija are earned, not issued for attendance: you submit this project, it is graded against a rubric, and passing issues a certificate anyone can verify. See the full project brief, rubric and free workbook →

Frequently asked questions

Is Warehouse & Inventory Operations: Stores, Stock Control and Distribution free?

Yes. Warehouse & Inventory Operations: Stores, Stock Control and Distribution is completely free on Skillnaija. You need a free account to open the lessons, and there is no charge for the course, the project, or the certificate.

How long does Warehouse & Inventory Operations: Stores, Stock Control and Distribution take to complete?

5 weeks · ~3 hrs/week. There are 10 lessons, about 3 hours of material in total. You learn at your own pace and your progress is saved.

Do I need any experience to start Warehouse & Inventory Operations: Stores, Stock Control and Distribution?

Beginner. You can start from scratch — no prior experience is assumed.

What will I learn in Warehouse & Inventory Operations: Stores, Stock Control and Distribution?

You will build practical skills in Warehouse flow and roles, Layout, zoning and location codes, Receiving and goods received notes, Stock cards and spreadsheet stock ledgers, Picking, packing and dispatch, FIFO and FEFO, Stock takes, cycle counts and variances, ABC analysis, reorder points and safety stock, Expiry, damage and returns management, Loss prevention controls, Warehouse safety supervision, Inventory KPIs and reporting. Every lesson is written for a Nigerian context, with examples drawn from how the work is actually done and paid for here.

Do I get a certificate for Warehouse & Inventory Operations: Stores, Stock Control and Distribution?

Yes, but it has to be earned. You complete the course project — Your Inventory Control Pack and submit it for grading. Passing the project issues a verifiable certificate; finishing the lessons alone does not.

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