Logistics and supply chain management are no longer confined to a company’s back-end operations. These principles of the modern business world are now a crucial facet of organizational strategy — or at least they should be, according to community college leaders at the forefront of this work.
In partnership with local industry, two-year institutions are helping students find high-paying careers in these flourishing fields. There’s nothing new about community colleges creating career-focused programming, but what makes logistics and the supply chain unique — and particularly challenging — is the widespread lack of awareness about the industry.
To that end, administrators are launching new programs that put learners directly into the goods distribution workforce. In May, seven students graduated as the first cohort from the logistics and supply chain management program at Cleveland State Community College (Tennessee). Participants in this “earn and learn” program took relevant courses while working at industry goliaths such as Whirlpool, McKee Foods and DENSO Manufacturing. With help from these companies, department officials developed curriculum around procurement practices, high-tech analytical tools and an ever-changing regulatory environment.
As part of the program, students used an online dashboard powered by local transportation data to solve real-world problems. This innovative research tool gave learners live data on transportation systems in the greater Chattanooga area, a national freight hub with numerous bottlenecks.
By aligning supply chain curriculum with real-world statistics, students can problem-solve issues that impact the local economy, notes John Squires, vice president of economic and institutional development at Cleveland State.
“The TRIP portal can handle any logistics question you can think of, whether air, ground or river transportation,” Squires says. “It can tell you the average tonnage coming down I-75 at 2:30 in the afternoon. Where the rest stops and EV stations are, and where accidents are occurring.”
Already a manufacturing epicenter, Chattanooga is also expected to become one of the country’s leading logistics hubs within the next 10 years. The region is poised for an industry boom due to a strong manufacturing and automotive base, as well as its strategic position at the crossroads of four major interstate highways, Squires says.
Cleveland State’s logistics initiative placed all seven graduates into data analysis and other entry-level positions. New hires can eventually move into management, with many companies offering to finance their continued education at a four-year university.
“Businesses know it’s in their best interest to help students develop those skills,” says Squires says. “There’s training on site, too, but we’re giving students a base knowledge that will get them a job.”
Meeting the demand
Logistics and supply chain management topped headlines during the pandemic, when worker shortfalls and congestion at ports led to price increases and a shortage of goods. The supply chain remains a hot industry today. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for logisticians are expected to grow 30% by decade’s end. In 2024, the median annual wage for those positions was $80,000.
Ohio’s supply chain and logistics industry recently received a boost from Gov. Mike DeWine, who allocated a portion of a recent $5.1 million grant package for its improvement. The state’s workforce hasn’t grown fast enough to keep up with the demand in fields like warehousing, manufacturing and last-mile logistics.
DeWine awarded $100,000 to the Ohio Supply Chain Academic Network (O-SCAN), formed in 2019 by Columbus State Community College and the Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business. With a mission of supporting the industry through workforce development, O-SCAN is shedding light on an oft-overlooked sector, says Jeremy Banta, associate professor of supply chain management at Columbus State.
“The supply chain became part of the lexicon during Covid – people now understand the terminology, but not the breadth of what we do at the college,” Banta says. “There’s warehousing, distribution and trucking, but even a law firm has someone doing that work, even if it’s just supplies. We run into a lack of knowledge about these areas and the fact that you can study them.”
Columbus State developed its logistics and supply chain programming two decades ago, growing apace with e-commerce and new technologies that created a surge in demand for talent. Ohio is also home to an intricate producer and supplier system — Intel is building a $28-billion chip factory that, after years of delays, is currently scheduled for completion in 2031.
Once up and running, the semiconductor manufacturer will source raw materials, managing production and streamlining an international supply chain network. Multiple moving parts will require a level of coordination only achievable through precise logistics and supply management, Banta says.
Relevant certificates and associate degrees at Columbus State cover transportation, sales and operations, and industry-focused technology, a “toolbox approach” designed to upskill current employees or train those new to the field.
“The intent is to make their current job better while giving them a leg-up for a promotion,” Banta says. “We get students who are supervisors or senior hourly people and want to break into management.”
Always something new
Administrators, including Banta, want to change the perception that trucking, warehousing and supply chain management cannot be viable long-term careers. For example, students must understand the expanding role of automation in this field. Banta saw this firsthand at a million-square-foot warehouse, where a dozen people ran the entire operation using drones, self-driving trucks and other Industry 4.0 technologies.
“Students have to know about air freight, procurement and international import and export – the industry is touching all these jobs,” Banta says. “(At the college), we’re not just looking at one job or sector, but making programming as broad as possible.”
Long Beach City College (LBCC) in California hosted a series of free sessions this summer for students interested in the skilled trades, including logistics and the supply chain. LBCC also has a unique advantage due to its proximity to the Port of Long Beach, where it established its Maritime Center of Excellence in 2018.
The port supports about one in five jobs regionally, according to its website. The partnership with LBCC prepares students for positions in logistics dispatching, goods management, customer service and more.
The center’s professional development programs are continually updated to reflect changes in both regional and global protocols, says LBCC President Mike Muñoz.
“There’s hands-on learning with compliance tools and sustainability practices,” Muñoz says. “We have intro courses for kids who want to ramp up into the field, then advanced topics for people already in the industry.”
As a 100-year-old institution, LBCC has been deeply connected with the port for many years. Still, there is always something new to learn when creating the jobs of the future, Muñoz says.
“Let’s think about artificial intelligence and other curriculum needs,” he says. “You have to build out those advisory councils, because those are folks in the industry, and they will tell you what’s coming next.”
Squires, the Cleveland State official, is eager to expand the college’s logistics and supply chain program from a group of seven students to 70. No matter how many students the program graduates, there should always be new jobs available, he says.
“These companies are getting people who are up to date on the current lay of the land,” Squires says. “We heard loud and clear that logistics, supply chain management and data analysis are becoming very intertwined.”
