Faced with that challenge, many companies have decided to invest in a solution. Players throughout the supply chain sector are offering scholarships and funding for students pursuing education in transportation, supply chain management, and related subjects. You don’t have to look far to find examples; donors include big names like Dematic, John Galt Solutions, Gebrüder Weiss, Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas, and Toyota Material Handling MidSouth.
The details of those programs vary, showing there are many ways to invest in building the supply chain workforce of the future.
Some companies award scholarships directly to deserving students, and the amounts can be quite large. The trade group the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) recently released the names of 62 students who will receive scholarships totaling over $175,000 this year. The group’s TCA Scholarship Fund provides money to students associated with a TCA member company who are attending a two- or four-year college or university.
Likewise, Florida-based trucking company Landstar recently announced the names of 15 students who will each receive a $3,000 or $4,000 scholarship toward a college of their choice. The program supports the children of Landstar agents, BCOs (beneficial cargo owners), and employees.
Other companies have taken a different approach, partnering with the universities themselves to support the development of supply chain-focused curriculums. For instance, software developer Blue Yonder has launched a two-year partnership with the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas that will make the company the title sponsor of the Master of Science in Supply Chain Management Program—a degree program designed to prepare students for jobs in sourcing, planning, and logistics.
In another example of an industry-academic partnership, the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) recently announced that it had added two more schools—the University of Houston and Mississippi State University—to its Joanne F. Casey Scholarship Program. The program supports students enrolled in university programs focused on freight and intermodal transportation.
Forklift manufacturer The Raymond Corp. also provides funding directly to universities, but in a different way. The forklift giant selects one research proposal each year to receive financial support through its University Research Program. After reviewing submissions from 19 universities, Raymond this year chose a proposal called “The Value of Limited Flexibility in Future Logistics Systems” submitted by Reem Khir, an assistant professor at Purdue University.
Canadian supply chain software developer Kinaxis also works directly with schools themselves, this year providing a $40,000 academic award to help students looking to pursue careers in supply chain. The funding, which will be divided among Texas Christian University, the University of Toronto, and Carleton University, will support students currently enrolled in supply chain, AI, or computer science programs.
Meanwhile, the Irish lift truck producer Combilift is targeting a much younger audience: school children. Combilift recently hostedthe Regional VEX Robotics championships,a competition designed to help kids develop the skills used in designing, building, and programming a robot. The program was created to help support STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education.
Just as they invest in facilities and equipment, supply chain companies are also pouring money into the workforce of the future, hoping to educate and inspire a new generation of workers to handle the logistics challenges of tomorrow.
