New Supply Chain Talent Academic Initiative gets underway

A critical need for skills-savvy supply chain professionals is fueling a coordinated effort to increase the depth of talent and promote an abundance of career paths.

The Supply Chain Talent Academic Initiative (SCTAI) leverages experience and leadership from all sectors of industry and academia to enrich the supply chain talent pool. SCTAI is a global partnership that began as a call to action at the Supply Chain Council World Conference two years ago.

"Companies that provide direct financial support will have direct input into the initiative’s priorities, and will also have access to a supply chain management grant-making simulation that is under development," said spokesmen.

SCTAI members include individuals from major universities and corporations, as well as leading supply management and operations management associations, including Institute for Supply Management; APICS The Association for Operations Management and Supply Chain Council.

Participating consultancies and academic institutions include Gartner; Michigan State University; The Pennsylvania State University and University of Texas – Austin.

The initiative is designed to benefit the profession as a whole. Participants have embarked on research, workshops and cross-industry projects that support several goals:

1) Identify industry competency requirements for supply chain talent, and provide forecasts of those requirements for university program planning
2) Assist universities and other educational institutions in building programs to meet those competency requirements
3) Market the supply chain profession as a career of choice

Founding member Jake Barr said in a statement that the group seeks additional participants, as well as industry funding:

"We welcome fresh perspectives and ideas," says Barr, a director of manufacturing, planning and logistics for Procter & Gamble (P&G). "Companies that provide direct financial support will have direct input into the initiative’s priorities, and will also have access to a supply chain management grant-making simulation that is under development."

Companies that have provided financial support to date include: The Boeing Company, IBM, Intel Corporation, Royal Philips Electronics, Procter & Gamble (P&G) and Whirlpool Corporation.

SC
MR