COLUMBUS, Ohio – Columbus State Community College will offer short-term courses for underemployed and displaced workers focused on logistics, transportation and customer service, some of the fastest-growing sectors of the central Ohio economy.
Columbus State was awarded a $1.4 million federal grant to develop courses to help put workers back on the job and prepare others for career advancement, said David Wayne, the college’s media relations coordinator.
The school says the grant provides workers with the chance to be employed in an industry that has a shortage of skilled professionals.
Columbus State’s Logistics and Supply Chain Department received the award money as part of a $25 million dollar U.S. Department of Labor program, Wayne said. Twelve colleges and universities received funds, but Columbus State is the only Ohio school to participate in the program.
The program consists of eight courses intended to provide displaced and underemployed workers with skills suitable for entry- and mid-level jobs in major logistics and supply-chain management areas such supply chain management principles; transportation, customer service, and warehousing operations, inventory management, procurement, demand planning, and manufacturing.
Wayne says each course is available online and takes an average of two weeks to complete. Four courses will be available beginning this summer; the remainder will be available by the end of the academic year.
Central Ohio is considered a national logistics center because of its location and increased expansion of key intermodal capabilities such the Heartland Rail Corridor and Rickenbacker Airport.