SCMAP Perspective is our fortnightly column on PortCalls, tackling the latest developments in the supply chain industry, as well as updates from within SCMAP. On this column, we look at the challenge of developing and mentoring supply chain talent, and what academic institutions are doing to fill the gap.
Bridging the gap
In the past few months we’ve been pondering the question of developing new talent in supply chain. I’ve been hearing complaints all over: companies are looking to expand their operations but find that they are having difficulty getting the right people for the job, whether because there is a shallow pool of existing talent, or the new ones in the pipeline don’t have the exact skill sets they need. We’re looking to tackle this question further in our General Membership Meeting on April 11, as well as on the upcoming issue of our magazine, Supply Chain Philippines.
That said, it is encouraging to see that major universities have begun to recognize these gaps, and have gotten in on the act. (Well, it is good business, after all.) The De La Salle University, for one, has begun steps to establish the Enrique Razon Logistics Institute, based in their Laguna campus; they plan to offer masteral and doctorate degrees (and, hopefully, a bachelor’s degree too) in supply chain, as well as organize research and case studies into the industry.
The Ateneo Graduate School of Business is also hoping to establish a master’s program in supply chain management. We at SCMAP are collaborating with them in establishing the content for these courses, and we hope to have news in the coming months.
Finally, the University of the Philippines’ business administration department, led by their chair Dr. Ma. Gloria Talavera, are looking to integrate supply chain lessons into their curriculum. You may recall that we have also signed a memorandum of agreement with the university’s National Engineering Center for the mounting of short courses in supply chain.
All this is on top of current efforts from the Technological Institute of the Philippines, Jose Rizal University, University of San Jose Recoletos and the University of Makati in offering degree programs in supply chain, as well as programs and electives geared towards this discipline from the College of St. Benilde. At least we can say we are not starting from scratch, but we recognize we must step up efforts further.
Why focus on tertiary education? Our initial research suggests that companies looking to bolster their supply chain staff want to hire people who already have a good understanding of supply chain. Yes, most of what one will know will come from on-the-job experience – there are specific conditions for specific cases – but they can hit the ground running if they come in knowing basic aspects of supply chain. Companies also want their new hires to be good with problem solving, communicating, working with teams and collaborating with different disciplines – all qualities that are best forged in the classroom.
An interesting question arises, however. The horizontal approach of supply chain means there are many ways to approach it: you can come from the financial side, or the operational side, or even the sales and marketing side. Most of the new supply chain talent we’ve encountered are industrial engineering graduates, which makes sense considering they dive deep into operations early in their careers. However, the ability to understand the cash flow aspect, or the customer service aspect, might be limited.
Here’s an opportunity for those college and universities: a supply chain education that does not just focus on logistics. It’s not just about making efficiencies, but about providing value for both company and customer. The best supply chain people can bridge the disconnects between production, distribution and marketing. It’s about the ability to see the whole picture. Here’s hoping efforts by academic institutions recognize this: we don’t want a missed opportunity in our hands.