Logistics Education Forum Brings Academia & Workforce to the Same Table
Tuesday, January 20th, 2015
The Center of Innovation for Logistics produced a report showing a gap between logistics education and industry employment. The report, titled The Logistics of Education and the Education of Logistics: Exploring Supply and Demand of Logistics Workforce uncovered a decline in the number of students choosing logistics-related degrees and those entering into the logistics workforce after graduation.
To address these issues, the Center created the Logistics Education Forum, a working group that meets quarterly and brings both the academic and industry sides to the table to discuss the current needs in logistics.
From their very first meeting, they’ve been able to include major industry partners like The Coca Cola Company and Manhattan Associates as well as all of the Technical College and University System partners with programs in logistics.
This forum provides the perfect atmosphere for productive conversation, and the first thing the group concluded was that there needed to be a greater focus on internships– creating more opportunities for students to get hands-on experience in the field. To keep pace with industry needs, there needed to be a more timely way for students to learn more than they were getting in the classroom.
The Center came up with a process for companies to submit projects and internship opportunities online, and accelerate the process for meeting company needs—whether it be student interns, problem solving, or other resources. At the same time, the process allows both students and instructors to keep abreast of the current trends in the industry. More of this resource can be found here.
Since that first meeting, the Logistics Education Forum has continued to uncover and tackle new obstacles in the industry. Currently, the group is focused on educating students about the available employment options in the logistics industry.
The future looks bright for the logistics industry in Georgia—a state that boasts an abundance of career opportunities, excellent academic institutions, and ample modes of transportation—and the Logistics Education Forum hopes to continue to provide a platform for industry and academia to come together to not only meet the ongoing needs in logistics, but to continue to make Georgia one of the top states for logistics in America.
