The coming year year will see a movement to focus transportation and logistics recruiting on two academic resources.
First will be the “technical” institutions that already are preparing the fundamental work force. They are training the employees who make the business go — the able-bodied seaman, the train crew, the truck driver, the administrative personnel, those who keep the infrastructure functioning, and, of course, the mechanics for airlines, railroads, trucking, waterways, and others.
Backfilling the baby boomer bubble, however, many of today’s skilled workers will require more interaction with and support for academic institutions that give the logistics and transportation technician their fundamental knowledge and skill. Added to the fundamentals provided by education is the time needed to season these critical human resources so as to operate a safe, effective and efficient system. 2012 is a year to raise the ante and fill the needs for skilled logistics and transportation technical personnel.
Secondly, the companies in logistics and transportation will be looking at institutions of higher education that turn out professional managers with hands-on capabilities, those new hires who can enter an organization and hit the ground running. The need for personnel continues into the ranks of the professional managers who are the first line and core of a logistics or transportation organization. There is a growing realization by business schools that the fields of logistics and supply chain can provide a competitive advantage and improve profitability.
So the U.S. will do well in the global economy as manufacturing and assembly returns on shore and developing countries grow in their demand for consumer and industrial goods. But the U.S. will only succeed if organizations know and have relationships with technical and professional academic institutions to ensure a future flow of knowledgeable and skilled people needed for success in the second decade of the 21st century.