F or years, careers in supply preparing to enter the workforce, and the educational curriculum of many colleges did not prioritize a logistics career path for their students. That is changing. Supply chains used to be viewed “in the background,” but the pandemic raised the awareness of their importance and made them a priority in C-suites, says Steve Blust, president of the chain and logistics too often were overlooked among those Containerization & Intermodal Institute. As a result, supply chains and logistics have gained prominence at higher education institutions and their emphasis in curricula will only continue to grow. There “absolutely” has been marked growth in supply chain curricula at higher education institutions, agrees Douglas Kent, executive vice president of corporate and strategic alliances at the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM). “Just ve years ago, the number of institutions that were offering a specialty or a degree in supply chain were far fewer than today,” Kent says. CONNECTING WITH STUDENTS It’s important for private sector organizations looking for supply chain talent to capitalize on that interest. That means seeking out opportunities to connect with students and show them the range of career possibilities. It also means partnering with schools to ensure that students receive the best-possible education and training to excel once they enter the workforce. “There’s bene t to speaking to almost any student,” says Aleem Bandali, global head of Aim10x Executive Council at o9 Solutions, a Dallas-based enterprise AI provider that works with supply chain companies around the world. “It’s such a powerful topic that there’s value in teaching anyone who is willing to listen.” It is crucial for industry members to be engaged in education and the development and advancement of future leaders. “There is much that companies can teach—connecting the rigor of education with the relevance of
actual business practice is key,” says Jim Bender, manager, corporate citizenship for Crowley, a logistics, marine, and energy solutions company headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. “The pandemic had signi cant effects on the movement of cargo, and that’s why developing the talent pipeline throughout the entire supply chain eco- system is important,” Bender says. “I recently served at a university and saw many students drawn to general business, accounting, economics, and business analytics,” he adds. “Supply chain management incorporates those programs, but in a more comprehensive way. It is the action behind the details.” MEETING THE LABOR CHALLENGE In today’s highly competitive labor climate, developing the workforce is particularly critical so that supply chain organizations can meet the current demand for their services. The result has been higher engagement from industry. “If your revenue is contingent on your ability to have the capacity to deliver goods and services to the people willing to spend, you don’t want a labor challenge to get in your way,” Kent says. “Corporations recognize that there is a labor shortage, and don’t want to be the last one out ghting for talent. “Companies will get ahead of the game by making sure that they’re not only attracting talent but that they’re also growing talent to satisfy their needs,” he adds. Supply chain planning is evolving rapidly, particularly as it relates to technology, and that means educators need help from industry to keep up. “In universities and colleges, what students are learning by the time they’re learning it may not be as practical anymore," Bandali says. “So it’s important for companies to partner with schools to help with that acceleration.” There are clear bene ts to industry and schools working together to share resources and insight, so that schools understand what industry needs and industry helps prepare the future workforce in the best way possible.
June 2023 • Inbound Logistics 81
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