How to Close the Millennials Skill Gap?

It is an accepted fact that Millennials are now taking over the workplace and are becoming the generation of majority in the workforce. This new generation of workers is more educated than all others before them. According to the October 2014 White House Council for Economic Advisors Report, 47 percent of Millennials graduated with Associate’s, Bachelor’s or graduate degrees.  But has the education they’ve received granted them the skills to be efficient on the job? According to a study published by Deloitte, only 28 percent of Millennials feel that their organizations are taking full advantage of their skill set. When asked to estimate the contribution that the skills they acquired during their education made in achieving their company’s objectives, the average answer is 37 percent. This means that two-thirds of the skills used to accomplish tasks in their current organizations were acquired on the job or through training.

In an ever-changing business environment, it is difficult for traditional educational institutions to provide skills that will be applicable on the job. Techniques and technology are changing every day, and what is the norm one day will be obsolete the next. The result of this phenomenon is a growing focus on soft skills from higher education organizations. Flexibility and adaptability to the environment are now the keystones of many degrees. While this focus prepares Millennials for a changing environment, a gap is created between what they learned in class and the real-world tasks asked of them in the field.

It is up to the employer to bring the new recruits up to speed on the skills needed by their particular organization. With the predicted job gap left by retiring Baby Boomers, training will become a generalized practice for employers.  The demand for custom training contracts for the workforce and individualized courses will increase as Boomers retire and Millennials fill their positions. Here is an opportunity for higher education institutions to provide a solution to close the skill gap created by traditional higher education. Furthermore, it will allow these organizations to reach a population that doesn’t possess a degree, but requires specialized skills. Here at The University of Alabama, we offer tailored training for organizations trying to close this skill gap and improve the productivity of their workforce. Visit our Bama At Work for more information about how Bama At Work can provide your workforce with the skills it needs.

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Article by Guillaume Slama, Internet Communication Specialist for Bama At Work, Professional Development & Conference Services, The University of Alabama.

Project Management: Why Organizations Sink or Swim

Project Management is a driving factor in the success of any organization. Its premise is to execute objectives necessary for achieving goals by relying heavily on planning, processes, strategy and teamwork. An effective Project Manager should have the ability to manage these elements while simultaneously adapting to unexpected changes and troubleshooting any obstacles that may arise. So what could potentially go wrong when a project is great in theory?

Here is a list of 12 Common Project Management Mistakes as reported by actual Project Managers and IT Executives. (Source: CIO.com)

1. Not assigning the right person to manage the project
2. Failing to get everyone on the team behind the project
3. Not getting executive buy-in
4. Putting too many projects into production at once
5. Lack of regular communication/meetings
6. Not being specific enough with the scope/allowing the scope to frequently change
7. Providing aggressive/overly optimistic timelines
8. Not being flexible
9. Not having a system in place for approving and tracking changes
10. Micromanaging projects
11. Expecting software to solve all your project management issues
12. Not having a metric for defining success

Perhaps one of history’s greatest project management mishaps is that of the sinking of the Titanic, a tragic event that may have been fully preventable. On April 15, 1912, the infamous British liner struck an iceberg, filled with water, and sunk to the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean claiming the lives of 1,514 passengers. You may be surprised to see how specific operational errors that resulted in this great catastrophe correlate with issues still reported by project management professionals today.

First, the Titanic could have been constructed with a double hull, a risk management failure on the part of the ship’s manufacturers and builders. Because this invention was already in place, a metric for defining success may have included specific safety requirements to eliminate negligent structural decisions.  Second, the ship’s walls were not fully sealed and were capable of containing only a limited amount of flooding. Had the bulkheads been sealed throughout, the flooding may have been reduced or prevented. Flexibility in the design to anticipate the greatest possible complication rather than the least would have effectuated proper planning.

Next, Captain Edward John Smith’s substandard response to warnings issued by other ships that dangerous ice was approaching was to take a slightly alternate route and continue to move forward at full speed. Perhaps the right person was not assigned to manage this project, as a wiser Captain may have opted to slow down or stop the ship until morning.

Finally, the Titanic was furnished with only enough lifeboats to rescue about one-third of its passengers, and even those were not filled to capacity. By attempting to transport more passengers than it was prepared to accommodate in the face of disaster, the voyage essentially had too many projects in production at once.  Not having properly trained staff in place to fill the lifeboats to capacity demonstrates the deficiency of not having everyone on the team behind the project.

So, how can you prevent your business from hitting the metaphorical iceberg and sinking? The University of Alabama’s Advanced Project Management certificate program offers three essential courses with a UA Practitioner certification awarded upon completion.  The Advanced Project Management with Simulation course on April 1 – 3 and October 19 – 21 provides an opportunity for professional students to engage in an interactive activity in which they assume a project manager’s role. The simulation exercise presents students with situations during the planning and execution phases of projects, and challenges them to make timely decisions that will affect the outcome of the project. Students are afforded the opportunity to practice project management in a real-world environment designed to help them utilize their new and sharpened skills upon returning to work.

The benefits of having a well-trained project management team and the dangers of neglecting to do so are equally evident. Employers may want to consider making simulation training a requirement for their programs as a means of rapidly increasing the expertise of their project management staff. Project Managers seeking career growth may take advantage of simulation training to improve and accelerate their development of project management skills. Visit our website to learn more and enroll in the University of Alabama’s Project Management Certificate Program. On-site custom training is available upon request.

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Article by Kara Creel,  Marketing Coordinator for Bama At Work, The University of Alabama.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

The holidays are a time to celebrate family, reflect on the year’s accomplishments and count our blessings. As we look toward 2015, the Bama At Work team is eager to help you accomplish your professional goals. Whether you’re looking for the right training, the perfect conference, or a brand new career, we are dedicated to providing you with the resources you need to succeed.

From our family to yours, we wish you a very happy holiday season, and look forward to serving you in the coming year.

Is There a Skills Gap in the American Workforce?

According to the Department of Labor, nationwide there are 4 million jobs which go unfilled, yet there are also 10 million Americans unemployed. How can we have millions of open job opportunities with so many Americans out of work?

Normally in America we assume that if we have these high unemployment numbers then this means that jobs are scarce.  There have been many conversations in Congress and stories from news programs that tell a different story. We essentially have what is being called a “skills gap”. This gap can explain much about our current situation and, if addressed properly, we could help our unemployment rate decrease.

So let us address the issues with unskilled workers. With college admissions at an all-time high it is puzzling that, according to a Manpower survey “Growth 2012 Talent Shortage Survey”, 49% of employers struggle to fill jobs. Basically there are jobs waiting to be filled, but current job seekers who may have a good education lack the skills needed to do these specific jobs. America in some ways has become snobbish when it comes to finding the perfect “career.” It seems we are conditioned to the idea that if we show up in a suit and tie with a day full of conference calls and meetings then this is seen as a career. On the other hand when we hear someone say I work at a chemical plant, oil refinery, landscaping business or in some of the IT jobs, then we regard these positions as “just over broke” (JOB) work. However it couldn’t be further from the truth.  These manual and/or blue collar jobs are the skills needed to help Americans stay competitive in manufacturing and IT industries.

We have also raised a generation of talented young adults who feel a sense of entitlement as it relates to their job options. A quote from Thomas Edison captures this: “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” This quote is so true with many of our young generation — it’s as if they feel like a corner office in a tall high-rise is the only way to go. Along with the “it should be handed to me” mentality, it can be difficult for employers to find employees with the work ethic needed to succeed in open positions.

On the flip side, let’s face the fact that companies are cutting back on benefits for their employees. Corporations in the past would offer “perks” like tuition reimbursement for continuing your education as well as free programs and courses through their Human Resources department. These days, with the tighter economy and higher cost to offer health insurance to employees, companies have offered less and less of these benefits. Many small-to medium-sized companies are unable to offer these benefits to their employees to keep them relevant and prepared for the future.

So how do we help companies and employees prepare themselves for today and the future, especially when many of the careers available today did not exist 10 years ago? We have to keep learning even after we graduate from high school, college or vocational school. There are so many ways we can keep up-to-date with different opportunities and not have to walk into a classroom. Many colleges and universities offer 100% online certification courses to add to your resume and keep your brain moving forward. These courses range from leadership to IT, medical and skilled trades.

Bama At Work and its partner World Education are at the forefront of efforts like these to help keep Americans employed, and are committed to offer online certificate programs that will keep Americans up-to-date with relevant skills so they can find sustained employment. Many of these programs we offer are in the skilled trades, sustainability and IT industries. Many of these programs are low cost programs that allow students to study in the comfort of their own homes and on their own time.   So take heart, and with Bama At Work by your side, you can close the skills gap.

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Article by Kelly Fuhlman, Director of Social Media  for World Education , and is personally involved in helping others make a better life for themselves through education. World Education is one of the main partner of the University of Alabama for Online Certificate Programs

The Significance of the Panama Canal to Supply Management

As the Global Best Practices (GBP) Chair for ISM-Dallas, it has been “many moons” since that I wrote my last article – do you remember? It was on Dili, East Timor-Leste.  Now I report to you from the Panama Canal –

That’s the one in Panama City – not the city in the Florida that is currently “ground zero” for those wild spring breakers, but the largest city in the country of Panama, which separates Costa Rica from Colombia.   Most Americans only associate Panama with the drug lord – Manuel Noriega, who was its Dictator in the mid-1980’s, but since, was ousted by our U.S. Military and subsequently arrested, tried and imprisoned in Florida,

Panama is now a very peaceful and lovely country.  BTW – after spending years in prison in Florida, Noriega was extradited to France and then subsequently extradited back to Panama, where he is currently serving a 20-year sentence for murder.   Recently, however, he has expressed an interest in Supply Management, and is participating in the ISM-Dallas’ CPSM Online Review Program from his prison cell (FACT OR FICTION?).

That brings us back to the Panama Canal and more importantly, its significance to Supply Management.

First, what is it?  The Panama Canal (Spanish: Canal de Panamá) is a 48-mile ship canal in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean (via the Caribbean Sea) to the Pacific Ocean. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. There are locks at each end (similar to a dam) to lift ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial lake created to reduce the amount of excavation work required for the canal, 85 ft. above sea level. The current locks are 110 ft. wide.

What is its history? France began work on the canal in 1881, but had to stop because of engineering problems and high mortality due to disease (primarily, “Yellow Fever”). The United States took over the project in 1904, and took a decade to complete the Canal, which was officially opened on August 15, 1914. One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, the Panama Canal shortcut greatly reduced the time for ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, enabling them to avoid the lengthy, hazardous Cape Horn route around the southernmost tip of South America via the Drake Passage or Strait of Magellan. The shorter, faster, and safer route to the U.S. West Coast and to nations in and around the Pacific Ocean allowed those places to become more integrated with the world economy.

Annual traffic has risen from about 1,000 ships in 1914, when the Canal opened, to approximately 15,000 vessels in 2013, the latter measuring a total of 310 million  tons. Since 1914, more than one million ships from all over the world have transited the Canal.  The historic millionth mark was reached on September 4, 2010 with the transit of the bulk carrier “Fortune Plum.” The American Society of Civil Engineers has named the Panama Canal one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

What is its significance to Supply Management?  If you are currently, or in the past have, or your overall company has been involved with – global sourcing (products that are imported or exported on any continent), most likely the ships carrying these goods have crossed through the Panama Canal.   Not only is the Panama Canal important to Panama for income and jobs, but it is also considered to be vitally important to the United States economy. Many U.S. exports and imports travel through the Canal daily (over 10% of all U.S. shipping goes through the Canal). Exports represent jobs for U.S. citizens because the products were made by U.S. workers. Imports enable U.S. consumers to receive needed products.

Since the United States is the only superpower in the world, the United States is interested in keeping the global economy running smoothly. If world trade is disrupted, it can lead to worldwide economic problems. Therefore, any disruption in the flow of goods through the Panama Canal could directly hurt the U.S. and global economies. For instance, if England were selling products to Peru, England’s economy would suffer if the Canal were not operating.

Without access to the Canal, the cost of exports from England to Peru would significantly increase because England would have to regain the added expenses involved in sailing around South America. Because of increased prices, Peru could not afford to purchase as many products from England, which in turn would decrease England’s revenues gained from exports. Decreased revenues mean that England would have less money available to purchase products from the United States and other countries. A “domino effect” would be set in motion as the United States and other countries experienced similar problems with their exports and imports. This example illustrates the economic importance the Panama Canal has to the U.S. and global economies.

What is the cost/benefit analysis?  The average cost for a ship to pass through the Canal is $200,000.  While this may seem like a huge sum of money, the time savings for the shipment can be over $1,000,000!   So as you become more astute to doing a TLC – Total Landed Cost Analysis – you will want to ensure that these efficiencies are passed on to your company, either through the lowest possible cost or through a rebate.

What does the future hold?  Based on the manufacture of the mega ships (both freighters and cruise liners), the Canal is currently being “expanded” (note: this is different from an “extension” as the current project is horizontal and to the Panamanians, an extension is vertical.  This expanded route will modify trade patterns in the region with the Canal as a driving force for global trade.  As a result, Panama will consolidate its role as the most important logistics and transportation center in the Americas.

This project will also help mitigate climate change, since bigger ships will transit through this route, reducing the global emissions of C02 that result when using alternate longer routes.  This is also important to us as Supply Managers as we focus on Green Procurement initiatives.  This project is set to be completed in 2015, but may be a bit delayed due to the labor disputes with the Spanish (who are managing the project).

In conclusion, to determine how significant the Panama Canal is to you, I would encourage you to find out from your Logistics department or from your international suppliers – how many shipments are passing through the Canal.   I think that you will be surprised of the magnitude!

Bama At Work, the professional development and conference services of the University of Alabama is proud to offer a Supply Chain and Logistics Certificate Program and CPIM (Certified in Production and Inventory Management) and CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Management) online courses. Learn more information about our offers in Supply Chain courses on campus or online on our website.

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Article by Pat Woods, CPIM, CPSM, CPSD, C.P.M instructor. Pat is past president of ISM-Dallas, Global Best Practices Chair.

Note:  the author can be reached at:  patwoods@supplychaineducation.com  or 214-310-3038 or via:  LinkedIn.