Wherever logistics and supply chain professionals gather, the subject of the supply chain talent shortage is sure to come up. Companies worldwide are having trouble attracting, hiring, developing, and retaining experienced managers, and even less luck finding promising young talent who will become the profession's next generation of leaders.

Private industry and academic institutions must work together to address the problem, says Dr. Chris Caplice, executive director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Center for Transportation and Logistics (CTL). In an article on the Supply Chain @MIT blog, Caplice proposes that a new online curriculum similar to the edX open online educational service could help fill the supply chain talent gap. Called SCMx, the program is currently under development at CTL and is slated for launch in late 2014.

Caplice describes the program as a "virtual classroom" that could educate "huge numbers" of individuals worldwide using a single sequence of courses. SCMx plans to offer three, 12-week courses designed to be completed in sequence. The first will introduce fundamentals and core concepts, the second will cover supply chain design and integration, and the third will address the development and integration of supply chain strategies, among other topics.

"In our opinion, such a curriculum would expand the talent pipeline and provide a world standard for supply chain education," Caplice writes. "Ultimately, we see SCMx as a transition to a new era in supply chain education, where globally available virtual classrooms complement the traditional, on-campus model."

CTL is seeking logistics and supply chain practitioners to participate in the project. To learn more, click here.