The topic of supply chain has been in the news thanks to disruptions in the flow of goods caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s conflict with Ukraine.
But when people hear about supply chains, what do they envision? Rob Hooker thinks he knows.
Rob Hooker, associate professor in the Monica Wooden Center for Supply Chain Management & Sustainability
“They have these images of cardboard boxes and trucks and steel shelving,” Hooker said. “In reality, we’re talking about a very high-tech, strategic process. We’re talking about the life of a product from sourcing through the retail component. It’s the backbone of our economy.”
Supply chain is a fast-growing field with strong income potential. It’s also an area where USF has invested in undergraduate and graduate programs that prepare graduates and upskill working professionals for careers demanding advanced critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Hooker is an associate professor in USF’s Muma College of Business. He teaches in the supply chain management program, which was launched two years ago, and serves as the program’s director of student success.
Every graduate of the USF supply chain management bachelor’s degree program has landed a job with a starting salary of $65,000 to $85,000. Many now work for household names such as Amazon, IBM, General Dynamics, Honeywell, Johnson & Johnson, Coca-Cola and Walmart, as well as such top Tampa Bay-area firms as Jabil and Datek.
Kaylee Botts graduated from USF’s supply chain management program and is a senior operation manager for Amazon Air in Lakeland. Her job requires leadership and operational knowledge – skills she acquired as an undergraduate.
“The classes balanced building my understanding of the industry and how to operate in it, coupled with intentional real-world scenarios and opportunities to lead my peers,” Botts said. “Having a foundation of technical and soft skills allowed me to hit the ground running.”
Supply chain’s most visible role might be the logistics of delivering goods to the consumer, but it encompasses management of finance, products and services and information flows. It uses technologies such as artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to enable companies like Amazon to suggest new purchases based on your shopping history.
As a result, it requires a talented workforce with the foresight to “predict what people will need before they need it and to think about how to solve problems that haven’t even been invented yet,” Hooker said.
Supply chain management programs were few and far between only a decade ago. Their emergence represents a response to the demand for graduates with specific skill sets needed in a fast-paced industry that’s been heavily impacted by recent events.
“The pandemic stacked layers of challenges, and it’s been frustrating at times,” Hooker said, adding that “without a doubt” news coverage of global supply chain issues has helped attract the kind of students who crave constant challenges.
Original source can be found here.
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