PCC Logistics and Supply Chain Fall Classes Target Working Professionals
July 19, 2012
Tucson, AZ -- Pima Community College’s Logistics and Supply Chain Management Program is offering once-a-week weekday late afternoon and evening classes, and Saturday classes for fall semester to make it easier for working professionals to earn a certificate or degree in the high-demand field.
Careers in logistics and supply chain management, which the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts will grow 26 percent from 2010 to 2020, are especially in demand in the Tucson region.
In just the last few months, the deep-water port in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico, received its first container cargo ship and operators already plan to expand, Rolls-Royce announced plans for a Guaymas supply hub for international commercial jets and military aircraft, expansion of the Mariposa Land Port of Entry is on schedule to be completed in Spring 2014, and Union Pacific Corp. is pursuing building a rail yard near Picacho Peak.
Industry professionals have been touting Tucson as a crossroads of global logistics opportunity, and a Canadian firm is pursuing Marana and Pinal County as a future logistics hub.
"The Logistics and Supply Chain Management program at Pima Community College provides its students with an excellent educational opportunity in a thriving field," said Logistics and Supply Chain Management Program lead faculty Jean-Claude Khawam. "Our instructors not only teach the subject from an academic standpoint, but also draw upon their extensive and diverse professional credentials to enrich the learning experience."
The fall semester classes include classes starting at 7 p.m. in Principles of Logistics and Supply Chain Management (LGM 101), Inventory Control (LGM 102) and Warehouse Management (LGM 105). Classes starting at 4 p.m. include Introduction to Purchasing (LGM 107) and International Logistics (LGM 108). Classes are offered at PCC's East Campus, 8181 E. Irvington Road and PCC's Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Education Center, which serves both active-duty U.S. Air Force personnel and the public. The traditional 16-week classes begin Aug. 22.
Khawam also said the employers that have employees interested in taking a class may qualify to have PCC teach a class, open to all students, at their work site. For fall, PCC is offering its Contracts and Freight Claims (LGM 103) class at Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona, 1940 E. Silverlake Road, Suite 405.
The College offers an Associate of Applied Science in Logistics and Supply Chain Management that would improve job opportunities or allow a student to start as a junior for a degree at Northern Arizona University's Extended Campus in Tucson (Bachelor of Applied Science in Logistics and Supply Chain Management) or the University of Arizona South (Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervision, Logistics Emphasis). In addition, PCC offers basic and advanced certificates for direct employment the logistics and supply chain management field.
Khawam says U.S. military veterans, as well as those who have worked for such employers as U.S. Customs and Border Protection, often find that a career in logistics and supply chain management is a natural extension of their experience.
In addition to federal financial aid, veterans benefits and scholarships available through the Pima Community College Foundation, scholarships are offered by the Southern Arizona Logistics Education Organization. SALEO promotes education in logistics by networking the logistics service providers and users in the Arizona-Mexico region and by providing volunteer support to educational institutions and workforce development organizations. To learn more about the SALEO scholarship and download an application (deadline Sept. 7, 2012), go to www.saleo.org/education.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics identifies these careers and median salaries within logistics and supply chain management that require at least a bachelor's degree: industrial engineering technician ($48,210); cost estimator ($57,860); operations research analyst ($70,960); logistician ($70,800 median salary); industrial engineer ($76,100); management analyst ($78,160) and industrial production manager ($87,160).
PCC's program also has internships available for associate degree and advanced certificate students. Internship partners include Dataforth, Port of Tucson and University of Arizona Medical Center South Campus.
The PCC Logistics and Supply Chain Management Program began in October 2009 with a two-year, $2 million U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development grant funding a partnership between Pima County One Stop, Cochise College, Arizona Western College and PCC. Under the grant, PCC graduated 33 students by December 2011. The grant's goal was for Cochise, Arizona Western and PCC to graduate a total of 180 students in all credentials, including such noncredit certificates as HAZMAT and forklift operator, by the end of 2011.
CONTACT:
C.J. Karamargin
Vice Chancellor for Public Information and Government Relations
(520) 206-4850
ckaramargin@pima.edu