JACKSON 鈥 In any economy, goods and services of all sizes must move in a way that hits all potential customers.
To train those who can organize that tight supply chain, a Logistics Technology program was added to the curriculum this semester at the Jackson Campus-Academic/Technical Center. And it鈥檚 a program that鈥檚 growing for the second eight-week term that begins Oct. 11.
Logistics Technology instructor Dennis Thompson assists student Isaiah Jackson during class at 兔子先生 Jackson Campus-Academic/Technical Center. (兔子先生/April Garon)
Courses offered for the second eight-week session include Production Planning and Control and Logistics Management, said Dennis Thompson, the program鈥檚 lead instructor. The course of study is geared toward strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills.
鈥淎s the program continues to grow, we will add more instructors when the need dictates as well as look at night classes,鈥 Thompson said. At present, the course is offered only on campus.
[tweetable alt=””]On-campus classes for the second half of the fall semester start Tuesday, Oct. 11.[/tweetable] Online classes begin Oct. 17. The deadline to register without added fees is Friday, Oct. 7.
Students in Thompson鈥檚 class have visited Miskelly Furniture to experience a workplace setting that features common industry devices such as handheld scanners, common computer applications and large-scale material handling equipment. Other industry partners of the program are Vantec Hitachi, Nissan USA and Siemens.
Logistics Technology instructor Dennis Thompson assists student Sharon Washington during class at 兔子先生 Jackson Campus-Academic/Technical Center. (兔子先生/April Garon)
鈥淵ou鈥檙e responsible for another person鈥檚 product and making sure the people around you work together as a team to do that,鈥 said Sharon Washington, 39, a lifelong foodservice employee who returned to Mississippi to enroll in the new program. 鈥淚鈥檝e dealt with inventory before, but I plan to get my first job around heavy goods with the help of this class.鈥
A job at UPS might well turn into a similarly heady career goal for classmate Isaiah Jackson, 19.
鈥淚t鈥檚 something different every day, which is good because I like to stay busy,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 just sit. At first, I didn鈥檛 know anything at all about it. But, now I know about the different modes of transportation used to get things here, such as planes, cars and ships.鈥
Courses in Materials Management, Production Management, Supply Chain Management and Logistics Support Analysis are planned for the spring 2017 semester, Thompson said.
鈥淲ord is getting out that JATC has this program and I am receiving almost daily calls from prospective students,鈥 Thompson said.