Finally, the growth of global trade drives the need to teach international logistics. It is essential for students to understand import/export processes, global transportation flows, and documentation requirements. Such knowledge can foster employment opportunities with ocean carriers, freight forwarders, and global trading companies.
Requirement #3 – Internships
Being “book smart” is not enough for undergraduate SCM students to be successful in today’s job market. A growing number of employers expect students to have practical experience on their resumes. Some companies will only consider candidates who have completed a supply chain internship. Thus, supply chain programs are working to move education beyond the classroom.
Innovative supply chain programs are responding to this demand for “real world” exposure with changes to instructional methods and expansion of experiential learning. These efforts provide students with an opportunity to apply classroom content and explore career options.
Internships have become a major focal point of experiential learning, providing students with practical experience in a low-risk environment. Employers gain temporary resources to work on projects, and in return receive a more thorough assessment of a student’s capabilities.
While most SCM programs strongly recommend internships, only a few require them for graduation. At Auburn, each student is required to complete a paid internship or a shorter, nonpaid practicum. Most end up earning three credit hours toward graduation while gaining valuable experience.
Company projects and case studies are also widely used to provide hands-on learning. In Woody’s SCM course at the University of Kansas, students are linked with business partners for a semester-long project. Students must solve a problem and prepare an executive-level final presentation. “Often, the presentation is delivered at the business partner’s headquarters,” he notes. “The preparation and experience of presenting in this venue is significantly different than a typical classroom presentation.”
Central Michigan University’s logistics management students work on a funded company project each year. They analyze an existing problem and develop improvement recommendations. Recently, program participants developed an omni-channel fulfillment strategy for Kimberly-Clark Corporation.
“We use projects and live cases with real data,” comments Cook. “There’s no more pretending. We’re no longer building hypothetical cases with old data.”
International study trips are also valuable for introducing students to supply chains in action and creating global SCM awareness. Auburn SCM students have the opportunity to complete a six-week international internship in China, Ireland, or Italy. Woody leads a group of Kansas students on a trip to Panama each year. He indicates that the concepts of global economies and supply chains really becomes clear when experienced first-hand.
Lastly, some SCM programs encourage students to pursue professional certification through one of the major associations, as another way to demonstrate professional competency and industry knowledge.
