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We believe that there is a tremendous talent gap across the supply chain, one that extends far beyond the driver shortage. There are several reasons as to why this might be. 

• Graduating college seniors don’t know about the career potential that comes with roles in supply chain management and leadership. Maybe they see trucks on the road, but in general, very few young adults see those trucks and realize “I can have a profound impact on the bottom line for a company, a positive effect on the environment, and can dramatically improve the lives of individuals.” While many engineering students may be a fan of Iron Man, very few of them realize that they could be designing exoskeletons that keep docks workers safe. In short, we as logistics professionals need to paint our industry in a more positive light. 
• This is particularly true as funding rounds across the supply chain explode, with some of the best-known firms (Sequoia, A16Z, Softbank, Warburg Pincus, etc.) pumping money into the space. As more companies launch, there will be even greater demand for talented developers, data scientists, and engineers. 
• Furthermore, we’re seeing a movement whereby logistics roles are gaining entrance into the C-Suite. Enterprise shippers are hiring Chief Supply Chain Officers, who are being tasked with responsibilities that combine efficiency and cost savings with corporate social responsibility. It’s no longer just about getting coffee from one place to another as cheaply as possible; it’s imperative to ensure that the coffee comes from farms that treat their workers well. Data science, and yes, blockchain, are gaining acceptance across the supply chain world, and these types of initiatives are attracting the eyes of leaders and board members from many of the biggest companies in the world. 

Today, we’re thrilled to launch our sponsored new series, called Careers on the Move, which is a web video series, podcast, and blog that spotlight individuals and companies doing interesting and cool things across the supply chain. Careers on the Move has three content pillars. Our weekly blog will spotlight a cool startup, as a way to highlight new and interesting tech and approaches. Our podcast will connect with industry experts, discussing their day to day challenges and the work that they’re doing. We think this will help to paint a more realistic picture of what a career in supply chain might look like. Finally, we’re creating a video series that spotlights experienced supply chain professionals… think of it like NPR’s “How I Built This” for careers in logistics. 

Careers on the Move has one very specific goal: in 2021 we want to attract 1,000 new entrants into supply chain roles. 1,000 newcomers won’t eliminate the talent gap we see, but they will start to usher in a new era of importance for the global supply chain. 

Our first guest is Melanie Nuce, who is the Senior Vice President of Corporate Development for GS1, a standards organization that was behind the UPC code we all know (and those of us who are older, might remember collecting from cereal boxes to send in for some sort of toy). 

Listen to the first episode of Careers on the Move below:

You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. 

We hope you enjoy the shows.