More than 100 residents from Newton and surrounding counties attended an information session for the Logistics Education And Pathways (LEAP) program on Monday, July 10th at the Historic Newton County Courthouse. During the information session, attendees learned about the opportunity to take online courses that are available from the Georgia Tech Supply Chain & Logistics Institute which will help prepare them for a career in logistics. The pilot program is provided through partnership with Georgia Tech, the City of Covington, Newton County, Newton County Economic Development, Newton County Schools, and Covington Newton County Chamber of Commerce. The Georgia Tech LEAP program is supported by generous donations from JPMorgan Chase and Schneider.
During the information session, attendees received information about the online courses and the additional resources offered like supply chain gaming simulations and career advising in the Georgia Tech LEAP pilot program. They also got questions answered about the program and learned more about the extensive opportunities in logistics. Georgia Tech representatives Carole Bennett, MBA, Director of Program Development and Marketing, and Chuck Easley, LEAP Instructor, provided presentations.
“What you learn in this program is not just what’s going on in a logistics job and how to do things, you will also be able to start questioning “why” you are doing things and the impact you will have in your role in the supply chain,” said Carole Bennett. She continued to share success stories of LEAP program graduates who were hired because they were able to “have that conversation” with prospective employers.
Upon completion of each course, students will receive a Georgia Tech Professional Education Certificate which is listed on their official Georgia Tech Professional Education transcript. Multiple LEAP course graduates were presented their certificates of completion from Covington Mayor Ronnie Johnston, Newton County Board of Commissioners Chairman Marcello Banes, JPMorgan Chase’s VP of Government and Not-For-Profit Banking Chad Moten, and Georgia Tech’s Carole Bennett.
Mayor Johnston said, “Covington is growing rapidly in terms of jobs and investment and it is great to see Georgia Tech noticing that. As demand for qualified job applicants increase, this certificate will only become more valuable. This is truly a life changing opportunity that is being made available.”
Through the pilot program, tuition will be waived for the first 100 participants for up to four courses in the Georgia Tech LEAP program. The four online courses consist of Supply Chain Management Principles, Warehousing Operations, Transportation Operations, and Customer Service Operations.
“With this program, I think that we are truly helping people better their lives and changing the projection of their entire families,” said Ralph Staffins, President of the Covington Newton Chamber of Commerce.
The Georgia Tech LEAP pilot program is designed to help high school students, entry level job seekers, people changing careers, and veterans to compete for jobs and successful careers in supply chain management and logistics. To qualify, applicants must be residents from Newton, Rockdale, Walton, Jasper, DeKalb, or Morgan County.
“This program is such a blessing. My daughter is turning her life around and this is an amazing opportunity,” said Bianca Carter’s mother after attending the information session.
With Georgia being the transportation “super hub” of the Southeast, there is an amazing potential for a career in logistics. According to Fortune Magazine, industries and businesses in logistics will be looking to fill roughly 1.4 million jobs by 2018. The increase in jobs combined with a shortage of qualified candidates means one thing – an exciting opportunity for those willing to meet the requirements.
“This is a great educational tool for our county,” said Newton County Chairman Marcello Banes. “That Georgia Tech Professional Education is partnering with the county and our chamber of commerce will be a great help to our citizens as they work to get better qualified for some of the many career opportunities available in Newton County.”
Applications for the pilot are currently being accepted. To apply, visit www.scl.gatech.edu/leap.
