Logistics grads in demand
Colleges say their graduates of logistics and supply chain programs soon find work.
By Peter Bradley -- Logistics Management, 8/1/1999
Colleges and universities with logistics and supply chain programs regularly reach out to businesses to develop programs for students and mid-career professionals. And there's good news for graduates of those programs: The vast majority of them are likely to find jobs in the field within a few months of graduation.In fact, a study of about 30 universities with logistics and supply chain programs, undertaken for Logistics Management & Distribution Report by Cahners Research, found that fully 84 percent of graduates find a job within six months, and 36 percent of the schools say all of their graduates find positions. This likely reflects efforts of universities to work with logistics providers and other corporations. Eighty percent of the institutions work directly with companies to place students, and the schools work with an average of 40 companies each in those placement efforts.
The school-business relationship goes further. Eighty-one percent of the schools work with corporations to help develop programs for undergraduate, graduate, and professional development.
What's surprising, though, is how few shippers' companies work with those programs. Only 8 percent of companies that responded to a companion survey of Logistics' readers say they partner with universities or colleges to recruit students who have a background in supply chain or logistics management. Even more surprising, only 36 percent of respondents were even aware of those universities or colleges that provide what are considered to be excellent programs in supply chain or logistics management. That suggests that logistics providers who have working relationships with university and college programs may be getting first crack at the top logistics and supply chain graduates.
Programs for All Career Stages
All of the colleges selected for the survey have departments that give serious attention to logistics and supply chain management education. The list was drawn from schools with faculty that are members of the Council of Logistics Management.
The programs they offer vary widely. Studies can last as little as a single semester or be part of a full undergraduate major. Thirty percent offer two-year programs, and 30 percent offer four-year programs. Nearly all--90 percent--offer undergraduate degrees. Graduate-level study is also important for most of the schools. Slightly more than three-fourths offer graduate programs, with 38 percent offering doctoral programs. Eighty-four percent of the schools offer professional development programs for mid-career professionals.
The strong relationship with industry is indicated by the schools' efforts to find internships for students. Eighty-four percent of the schools work to place interns with companies as part of their education. Those internships pay off. Nearly all of the schools with those programs report that students often find jobs with the companies for which they interned.
The lack of formal relationships between colleges and shippers' companies doesn't mean that logistics professionals consider education or training unimportant. On the contrary, nearly three-quarters of the logistics professionals surveyed hold bachelor's or graduate degrees. And a similar number say their companies provide ongoing training for employees. More than half are required by their companies to have formal training at their job.
Even so, some logistics professionals have to look outside their companies for advanced training in logistics and supply chain issues. Most of their companies provide management, sales, and computer training, while just over half offer logistics and supply chain education. There just may not be that much demand: Only 20 percent of respondents say they would like their companies to offer logistics and supply chain training, and 73 percent say their companies already provide adequate training.
Although working logistics professionals are generally satisfied with their own level of training, they are not universally persuaded that current graduates are ready for the logistics profession: 42 percent say that current graduates are not adequately prepared. Among that group, 51 percent say that graduates need further experience or training. That may explain the success of interns in landing jobs. They get a taste of day-to-day business, overcoming some of the concerns expressed by logistics managers seeking new employees.
What those logistics managers do appreciate, more than any other skill, is the facility with computers that most current graduates bring to the job. Thirty-one percent of those surveyed say computer expertise is the skill most helpful to their companies. No other particular skill was mentioned by more than 10 percent of the sample. Not surprisingly, then, more than half the logistics managers surveyed say that computer technology and electronic commerce skills will be the most important for logistics and supply chain managers in the next decade. Only 12 percent mentioned specific logistics and supply chain knowledge.
Editor's note: The research on logistics education will provide the basis for a session on Logistics Education in the Supply Chain Age at the Council of Logistics Management's annual conference in Toronto. The CLM conference will run from Oct. 17-20.
The Colleges
The following colleges and universities took part in the study of educational programs in logistics:
Air Force Institute of Technology
California State - Long Beach
Dowling College
Elmhurst College
Golden State University
Greenville Tech College
Georgia Tech - Logistics Institute
John Carroll University
Michigan State University
Massachusetts Institute
of Technology
North Carolina State University
Monash University (Australia)
North Dakota State University
Northwestern University
Penn State Executive Programs,
Pennsylvania State University
Sitma A/S (Norway)
Syracuse University
University of Arkansas
University of Tennessee
University of Maryland
University of Michigan
University of North Carolina
University of Oklahoma
University of South Carolina
University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Nevada
University of Tennessee
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
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