So You Want to Work In Logistics…
Georgia is quickly becoming a hub for transportation and logistics, which involves moving products and people quickly via the road, railway, air and sea. As a result, there are plenty of jobs available in this field, said Joe Dan Banker, executive director of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG).
• Depending on your workload, it could either take you a little under or over two years to complete your training. Technical colleges guide their students toward opportunities to enter the field and earn income while working toward their degree by granting them certificates along the way. The education tiers right alongside your career path.
• The programs are as varied as the logistics and transportation field. The logistics program at Albany Tech is geared toward the Marine Corps. Central Georgia Tech’s logistics program tailors their students for the Air Force. Savannah Tech and Atlanta Tech both have excellent non-military based supply chain management programs, Banker said.
• Technical colleges are the perfect place to start because most supply chain management companies look for an associate degree, he said.
• Once you earn an associate degree, you could pursue higher degrees from the university level to increase your opportunity for promotions and management positions.
What’s a supply chain?
When you read about logistics and transportation, you'll see people referring to a supply chain. This is a shorthand for the sequence of processes involved in the production and distribution of any product. Many jobs and careers revolve around supply chains. To learn more, visit http://cscmp.org/career/career-center and http://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/logisticians.htm
What’s a supply chain?
When you read about logistics and transportation, you'll see people referring to a supply chain. This is a shorthand for the sequence of processes involved in the production and distribution of any product. Many jobs and careers revolve around supply chains. To learn more, visit http://cscmp.org/career/career-center and http://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/logisticians.htm
The goal of the logistics and transportation industry is simple: getting products to customers in an economical and efficient way. Companies throughout the state rely on and are hiring more workers who can move quickly to meet the needs of their customers.
Georgia appeals to leaders in the logistics and transportation industry for many reasons: the state is located in the heart of the Southeast, it has direct contact with the Atlantic Ocean, and it is expected to grow 5 percent more than the U.S. average for logistics employment, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
Of course, being home to busy Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and the ports of Savannah and Brunswick add to the appeal of the Peach State. By taking advantage of the logistics and transportation education opportunities in Georgia, residents can jump into an industry that is growing on a day-to-day basis and offers an array of job opportunities.
The Expert
Page Siplon, executive director of the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Center of Innovation for Logistics, says the industry is booming in Georgia, offering opportunities for a spectrum of people of various ages, skill levels and educational backgrounds. Siplon discussed the industry’s surge, as well as the skills required by the field and the opportunities for different age groups.
Q: What is interesting about the logistics and transportation industry in Georgia?
A: Part of it is our cornerstone location geographically. One of the reasons the Port of Savannah has grown so fast is because it is close to Atlanta. Around Atlanta, there are a lot of people buying and demanding things, so The Home Depots of the world and everything in between want to be closer to that.
Q: What companies are seeking logistics and transportation specialists?
A: It’s a long list. From The Home Depot, to small-sized companies, to pharmaceutical companies, you’d be hard-pressed to find an industry that is not looking for people skilled in supply chain.
Q: What skills are required in this industry?
A: Not all companies are looking for folks that know how to design, program and build [technology] — they need users. That probably lends itself to a younger crowd, because they have grown up with technology. Although, a lot of companies are looking for skilled engineers, people who know how to do business and sell products, and that lends itself to a more mature crowd. Then you get into the truck driving, warehouse workers and managers, and that can have a wide spectrum of ages as well as skill sets.
Q: What challenges face the industry?
A: There’s an awareness problem we have nationally. Most people think of trucking, warehousing and logistics as low-income, non-challenging careers, and that’s not the case anymore. All major companies use some sort of inventory management system.
The Student
About 11,000 new air traffic controllers will be needed over the next decade to keep track of what’s going on in the friendly skies. Traffic control can be a lucrative career, with entry level salaries averaging $42,000 per year and max-level controllers making as much as $138,000.
Options for education are the School of Aviation at Middle Georgia College in Eastman and Advanced ATC, an air traffic control academy at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College in Valdosta. The 12-month program offered by Advanced ATC combines technical training with hands-on learning at Valdosta Regional Airport Control Tower.
Buffalo native Abel Gonzalez, 29, is a student at Advanced ATC. With about two months to go in his program, he had already received a tentative offer letter to work for the Federal Aviation Administration.
Q: What career opportunities do you see in air traffic control?
A: There’s a lot of opportunity with the FAA. The hiring process with the FAA had a three-year freeze because of the lack of federal funding, and the FAA has just now started to rehire. I’ve already taken a series of tests for the FAA and based on those tests, a determination is made about what position you’ll be going to. And if you don’t make it with the FAA, there’s also lots of opportunities with contract control towers that are privately operated. I would prefer to work for the FAA because there are a lot more benefits and the pay is better.
Q: How do you feel about opportunities to make money in the field?
A: I’m excited about the opportunities. It’s something I enjoy – it’s a very interesting opportunity to use communication skills and talk to airplanes over the radio and be involved in aviation without having to go through such a long experience to get in the pilot’s seat.
A: Are you already working in the field? If so, what are you doing?
Q: I finished the training phase a few months ago and I’m starting the proficiency training, which will be a total of 16-20 hours a month, along with my simulator training at school. I’m not actually working there – it’s more of a training process.
The Graduate
Navaz Hussein, 24, always wanted to work with cars, but a regular mechanic job wasn’t thrilling enough for him. After completing the Motorsports Program at Lanier Technical College in Oakwood, he ended up in repairs – for a company that races Porsches and BMWs.
My job: I’m a car chief and tire manager for Murillo Racing in California. I ensure that all adjustments and repairs are made to the cars before each racing session.
What I enjoy most about my job: The teamwork. It’s almost like a fraternity, but we don’t live together. Sometimes we have 19-hour days and it wouldn’t get done if we didn’t get along.
How technical college helped me get this job: It began as one of two required internships for the Motorsports Program and turned into a contract. Last fall, my head instructor offered me an opportunity to help out with a race at Road Atlanta in Braselton, They needed help with a few more races after that and then Murillo Racing offered us a job with their motorsports association team. I really had this job before I graduated. In October it will be a year that I’ve been with them.
Most challenging part of the program: Learning how to use the specialized tools properly. It’s one thing to be able to use them and it’s another thing to be able to use them properly and then be able to repeat it. If you can’t do the same thing over and over, then you’re not cut out for this industry.
Advice for getting into this field: You definitely can’t go wrong with the program at Lanier Tech. You get tons of hands-on learning, which is good because in technical jobs, that’s what you will be doing 90 percent of the time. There’s a lot of money in motorsports, but you have to definitely prove yourself. Credibility is everything in this field. A big part of it is who you know, so you must have a great reputation.
So You Want to Work In Logistics…
Georgia is quickly becoming a hub for transportation and logistics, which involves moving products and people quickly via the road, railway, air and sea. As a result, there are plenty of jobs available in this field, said Joe Dan Banker, executive director of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG).
• Depending on your workload, it could either take you a little under or over two years to complete your training. Technical colleges guide their students toward opportunities to enter the field and earn income while working toward their degree by granting them certificates along the way. The education tiers right alongside your career path.
• The programs are as varied as the logistics and transportation field. The logistics program at Albany Tech is geared toward the Marine Corps. Central Georgia Tech’s logistics program tailors their students for the Air Force. Savannah Tech and Atlanta Tech both have excellent non-military based supply chain management programs, Banker said.
• Technical colleges are the perfect place to start because most supply chain management companies look for an associate degree, he said.
• Once you earn an associate degree, you could pursue higher degrees from the university level to increase your opportunity for promotions and management positions.
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