3-Step Checklist for Addressing the Supply Chain Skills Gap
By Doug Reed, MHI Executive Vice President of Strategic Development
The critical skill shortages within the supply chain industry have long been proclaimed and documented by MHI and many others within our field. Implementation of automation and technologies is increasing exponentially at every level—from sourcing to manufacturing to shipping to warehousing to distribution—placing stronger demands on employers to find workers with greater technical acumen and broader business aptitudes than ever before.
While our industry is fortunate to be growing in exciting and previously unimaginable ways, talent management issues are increasingly central to the success and sustainability of businesses within the field. To help companies gain a better grasp on the types of measures they can take to attract, train and retain employees in this perpetually evolving workplace reality, I recently sat down for a chat with Dr. David DeLong, president of Smart Workforce Strategies.
A nationally recognized expert on designing and implementing solutions for critical skill shortages, DeLong recently authored “The Myths & Realities of Successful Workforce Solutions: Lessons from Supply Chain’s Leading Edge,” a white paper underwritten by MHI’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program and released at the 2017 MHI Annual Conference last fall. He’s also a research fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) AgeLab and co-wrote “The Executive Guide to High Impact Talent Management” and “Lost Knowledge: Confronting the Threat of an Aging Workforce,” two widely referenced and highly praised workforce management books.
The paper—available as a free download at mhi.org/subwebs/conference2017/downloads/SupplyChainWorkforceWhitePaperWeb.pdf—draws key insights from four initiatives that have been launched by companies and educators to address supply chain talent shortages. Within its 26 pages, DeLong identifies 13 tangible steps for implementing effective relationships between companies and schools to attract, train and retain employees with the skills that employers in the supply chain critically need, while debunking the myths that surround the partnership process.
