Every day 50 percent of all North American railroad traffic passes through Chicago, which also is home to one of the busiest airports on the globe and the third largest rail port in North America. Supply Chain Management is a critical industry to this region. People looking to enter and advance within it can do so with Moraine Valley Community College’s six-course evening certificate program. Credit classes start in January.
In Illinois, 17 percent of jobs are in a supply chain/logistics field, and 25 percent of jobs are in the eight collar counties of Chicago. With 800 different positions in supply chain management, the industry encompasses the road, air, water, and rail.
“Jobs in this field are plentiful,” said Mike Johl, the program’s coordinator. “About 60 percent of drivers could retire any day and someone needs to replace them. Education is your greatest asset to getting a job or advancing in your current position in transportation, distribution and logistics.”
Moraine Valley’s program focuses on the supply chain network, operations management and cargo security for both domestic and global issues. It will assist workers already in the industry with gaining knowledge for new responsibilities or can help job applicants gain a competitive edge.
That was true for Paul Koranda, inventory control manager at RJW Transport. He oversees the receiving and inventory departments at three facilities encompassing over 900,000 square feet with more than 40 employees reporting to him. Koranda considers the program a springboard for his career. The Transportation and Logistics Overview class introduced him to the terminology he uses daily. Through the Introduction to Import/Export class, he discovered a program that was able to potentially recoup thousands of dollars for his employer, and Principals of Operations Management prepared him for managing different departments. While in the program, faculty mentors shared their years of professional experience in the field and connected Koranda with contacts who he could bounce ideas off of.
“I finished the program in fall 2012, and the certificate bolstered my résumé by showing I was committed to self-improvement,” he said. “Since then I have earned several promotions and am now the Inventory Control Manager for a 3PL company. I never would have been able to achieve so much so quickly without the foundation that was built through the Supply Chain Management Program at Moraine Valley,” Koranda said.
Moraine Valley’s program could be completed in one semester. Registration for the spring 2017 semester is underway. To learn more about this program, email ccce@morainevalley.edu or call (708) 974-5735.
