|
Co-op programs are the missing link
A friend of mine applied for a job at a TV station recently. During the interview, they asked if she knew how to use the company's archiving system. Let's call it XYZ.
"Yes, I'm familiar with XYZ," she bluffed. If she got the job, she planned to corner a colleague and say, "I’ve used XYZ before. But the settings here are slightly different. Could you help me get oriented?"
It turns out, she did get the job, and managed to learn the archiving system in a matter of hours. Was she wrong to overstate her knowledge, even over a minor technicality? Opinions will differ, no doubt.
But let's face it. Most new hires require on-the-job training. Perhaps we should just be open about it, instead of having employees sleuth around, trying to covertly learn skills their bosses think they already know. Graduates of post-secondary procurement programs are under even more pressure.
All across Canada, universities and colleges are ramping up supply chain management degree and diploma programs. Trade associations are eagerly forging partnerships with these institutions, hoping post-secondary training will make the field more prestigious. And it will.
But what exactly are these programs offering? Looking at them collectively, the simple answer is, everything under the sun. Some focus on technology--making sure their students know how to use software systems such as SAP. At other schools, it's all about international business. Add marketing, accounting, the law, border clearance, materials handling and transportation, and you've got a real mixed bag. Most of the time, students pick and choose their way through this banquet of courses, so we can't assume they've been exposed to all the elements of supply management.
That explains one of the key findings in the Strategic Human Resources Study of the Supply Chain Sector. According to the report, just under half of employers surveyed believe recent grads of these programs have the necessary job skills.
But what can we expect? These programs can't, and shouldn't try to crank out supply chain wizards--ready to pick up the reins in the middle of the most complex sourcing project. The programs are simply too broad, and they need to be. Supply chain managers really do require a grasp of the dozens of business fundamentals taught at these schools.
Instead of a magic pill, the programs should be seen as an essential foundation--a gateway into the field. But employers must be willing to do some of the educating too. The more successful colleges have co-op programs, where students are placed in an organization for weeks of practical experience.
The host company benefits too, because these students know about the most advanced procurement tools and strategies, some of which haven't yet been implemented in the working world. Many of these interns hire on permanently with the organization after graduating.
The bottom line is employers must open their doors to interns and apprentices to help these programs and the profession at large, gain more credibility. Only then will post-secondary education pay off.
—Lisa Wichmann
Editor
Contact the editor at lisa.wichmann@pb2b.rogers.com
|
