We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • ::COVID-19 COVERAGE::
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
Home » distribution vs. the movies
special handling

distribution vs. the movies

April 1, 2008
George Weimer
No Comments

Admit it. Like a host of other youngsters, you dreamed about going to Hollywood when you were in grade school or perhaps middle school. It's a common enough fantasy, but relatively few make it to the movies. When the bubble bursts and reality sets in, most youngsters change course and head to college to study to become lawyers, doctors, accountants, teachers … anything but distribution professionals!

Therein lies the problem of recruiting workers into the distribution business. The plain truth is that your business is practically invisible to most high school students.

"A lot of students are simply not aware of logistics as a field," says Arabella Perez, partnership development manager for Education to Careers (ETC), a program within the Chicago Public Schools that offers career training to high school students. She recalls meeting an executive with the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA) who said to her: "Look around this room. Everything in here had to get here from somewhere else. Everyone needs logistics." That's when the light bulb went on, and a partnership between the ETC and MHIA was born.

The Chicago program helps freshmen get started on a path of their choosing from a number of "career clusters," one of which includes logistics. High school students are placed with companies in internships or as "job shadows," take part in site visits, and learn about the business from guest speakers. Companies that have participated in the project include UPS, Federal Express, and OfficeMax.

Executives who have gotten involved in these kinds of programs say it's an excellent way to get the word out about careers in distribution, logistics, and warehousing. "We are very active in education," says William Bonner, senior director of external relations for OfficeMax. "We work to help the teachers bring relevance into the classroom."

Today, companies like OfficeMax are expanding their educational outreach programs to locations all over the country. And a few are even reaching out to younger students, those in the 6th through 8th grades, to encourage them to consider distribution as a possible career. The objective is not so much recruitment as education, according to Bonner. "We tell students, if you want to go to college, by all means go," he says. "But if they want to go into our industry right out of high school, we show them it can be exciting and inviting. Not everyone can be a movie star."

Though most of the outreach programs are aimed at students, several companies have begun targeting teachers in their efforts as well. "We find that in all the communities where we have plants, it is extremely helpful to bring teachers and guidance counselors, as well as students, into our facilities," says Steve VanNostrand, vice president of human resources for lift truck manufacturer Raymond Corp. Many times, teachers have only a vague notion of what the distribution profession entails— if they're aware of it at all. "So the key is reaching out to those who have an impact on the young at an early age," says Bonner.

Making an invisible profession visible won't happen overnight, of course. It takes time and effort to raise awareness of what goes on in the world of distribution. But those who've gotten involved in these educational programs say it's well worth their while: A small investment of time can bring a remarkable return.

Supply Chain Services
  • Related Articles

    if it ain't broke, should you fix it anyway?

George Weimer has been covering business and industry for almost four decades, beginning with Penton Publishing's Steel Magazine in 1968 where his first "beat" was the material handling industry. He remained with Steel for two years and stayed for two more when it became Industry Week in 1970. He subsequently joined Iron Age, where he spent a dozen years as its regional and international machine tool editor. He then re-joined Penton Publishing as chief editor of Automation Magazine and in 1993 returned to Industry Week as executive editor. He has been a contributing editor for several publications, including Material Handling Management, where his columns and feature articles regularly generated lively discussion in the industry. He has won various awards from major journalism organizations. He has covered numerous trade shows here and abroad and has spoken to various industrial and trade groups on the current issues and events of the day as they impinge on business. He remains convinced that material handling technology and logistics are two of the major sources of productivity improvement today and in the future for all industries.

Recent Articles by George Weimer

Commentary: Necessity mothers invention at NA 2010

Deal or (more likely) no deal

business crime: who's really at fault?

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Cold chain giant Lineage Logistics buys its own rail operator

  • For container lines and ports, what a difference a year makes

  • Outlook 2021: What’s in store for logistics supply chain?

  • Capacity challenges will continue in 2021

  • Cushman & Wakefield Brokers Sale of 170 Acres plus Lease for 1MSF Build-to-Suit for Home Improvement Retailer in Commerce City, CO.

Now Playing on DCV-TV

2mw 01 11 21 thumb

Ocean Sector Shaping the Next Shipageddon

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
If you're a shipper, it's never good when a rep for an ocean carrier tells you, "You better sit down before you read this." We've been seeing astoundingly high increases in the ocean sector and they seem to have staying power. While the ocean carriers used blank sailings last year to tip the balance of supply and...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Proven Benefits: A Compendium of Slotting Optimization Success Snapshots

  • Bridging Information Gaps in Dock and Yard Operations

  • How Intelligent Sensor Solutions Turn Data Into Action

  • Order picking Solutions: Understanding Your Options

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2021. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing