Education

While these skills have always had their place in the toolbox of employees and leaders, the need for mastery will be crucial in the new future of work. These are skills that machines cannot replace, at least not yet. * By Maria Leggett * According to the report, “Skill Shift: Automation and the Future of the Workforce,” by the McKinsey ...

Improving the Material Handling Industry Workforce through Digital Representations of Human-Based Operations * By Jesus A. Jimenez * This year, I was part of a group of professors who traveled to Europe to participate in what we designated as the “Industry 4.0 Tour.” We had one goal in mind: to find the latest developments in Industry 4.0. We visited several ...

Choosing—And Achieving—A Perfect Path: Kirstin Olesen, University of Oklahoma Kirstin Olesen has a very challenging job, but her accomplishments in college suggest that she’s more than up to the task. Olesen, 23, is a software engineer for Boeing working in the B-52 Weapons division, where she focuses on systems work such as writing requirements and tests for software programs and maintaining ...

From Student to “You’re Hired” ProMat 2019 Student Days provided real-world opportunities and even jobs during this record-setting event. * By Maria Leggett * Imagine going from university student to supply chain employee at one of the hottest 100 retailers in a matter of two days. That was Libby Weaver’s experience when she attended the annual Student Days event at ...

CTE Program: Applying the P-TECH Education Model P-TECH schools have established a model for how to empower young people with the skills required by both “new collar” jobs and continuing education. * By Maria Leggett * A few years after MHI’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program was established as an approach to addressing both the current and future shortage ...

MHEFI Scholarship Winners: Where Are They Now? Finding Answers in Algorithms: Seyed Shahab Mofidi, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Seyed Shahab Mofidi envisions a time in the not-too-distant future when online shoppers click their mouse and take delivery of their purchases just minutes later. And as a senior data and operations research scientist at MHI member Honeywell Intelligrated in Atlanta, he is ...

Changing the perception of supply chain—and the types of careers within the industry—is essential to successfully attracting and retaining the workforce of the future. * By Carol Miller * Changing the perception of supply chain—and the types of careers within the industry—is essential to successfully attracting and retaining the workforce of the future. This much is both clear and universally ...

U.S. graduate and undergraduate supply chain programs are adapting their curriculums and introducing new programs to meet industry needs and offer real-life experiences. * By Mary Lou Jay * What skills do companies look for when hiring an early-career supply chain professional? Beyond a basic knowledge of the industry, desirable characteristics include technical and analytical abilities, problem-solving experience, good soft ...

Because it provides a safe, yet highly realistic, environment in which to train employees, virtual reality training is increasingly being embraced within supply chains. * By Morgan Pettrone * Because it provides a safe yet highly realistic environment in which to train employees—particularly those learning to safely execute potentially dangerous tasks—virtual reality (VR) training is increasingly being embraced within specific ...

Robotics and other types of advanced technology not only can serve to improve the efficiency and productivity of supply chain operations but can “supercharge” the productivity of workers. * By Tom Gresham * When MHI member Vecna Robotics first went to a FedEx facility to introduce its robots there, a worker reacted less than enthusiastically to the arrival of the ...