Dear Brigitte,
Competing and thriving in tomorrow's marketplace demands that industrial distribution successfully attract the next generation of new talent.
Industrial distribution is a critical link in the global supply chain, representing about 6 percent of U.S. and Canadian GDP and 1 percent of the U.S. workforce (2 percent in Canada). But we face a competitive disadvantage because potential future employees don't know about industrial distributors and the opportunities offered for good, interesting jobs with a path to advancement.
Our workforce is aging and retiring in growing numbers. Without their experience, we lose product and customer knowledge we rely on. It takes years to train capable outside sales people, and turnover is costly to the distributor and to the customer. We must find the ways to attract tomorrow's key employees today.
Industrial distributors are competing for talent with better known (although not necessarily better paid) employment sectors like health care, information technology and green industries. If industrial distributors cannot meet these challenges and compete for the skilled workforce we need, our industry will die.
Keep reading to find how Industrial Careers Pathway is meeting the challenge of filling the industrial distribution sales and customer service employee pipeline. |
| ICP Links Job Seekers Directly with Employers |
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While much of the ICP program focuses on preparing tomorrow's employees for a career in industrial distribution, ICP also is reaching out to young adults across North America in new ways with positive messages and information about industrial distribution. As the younger generations increasingly seek out information online, ICP is expanding the Web site to achieve the program's most important goal -- connecting students and job seekers with employers.
Launching in October 2009, a key feature of the Web site will be an employer database which will make it easier than ever for tomorrow's workforce to find you. For the first time, job seekers looking for employment information in industrial distribution will be directly linked to member companies through the new ICP employer database.
The database lets young adults search for distribution firms and takes them directly to your Web site or career pages.
Member companies are automatically included in the employer database. Please e-mail info@industrialcareerspathway.org if you'd like to provide a link to your career pages instead of your home page. |
| Coming to a School Near You: ICP College Expansion |
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ICP is a catalyst and support for the creation of industrial distribution programs and courses at community and technical colleges. Five successful industrial distribution programs in the U.S. and Canada are now preparing tomorrow's workforce as a result of ICP efforts. With five years of experience, ICP is ready to enhance the program and expand its reach across North America.
Guided by the findings of the "Industrial Distribution Pilot Initiative Project Report," ICP is seeking colleges that 1) have an existing technology focus and/or 2) include business-to-business sales and marketing along with related wholesale, logistics and/or industrial business courses in its marketing course offerings. These colleges are also most likely to attract a student population potentially interested in industrial distribution.
The major expansion effort to engage new schools begins in 2010. |
| ICP Builds Educational Tools and Resources |
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ICP is expanding upon the course material developed for colleges by compiling material on industrial product technologies and applications. This new material will supplement Elements of Industrial Distribution, which is used as an online curriculum by community and technical colleges to introduce students to the industrial distribution business model, the role of distributors in the supply chain and their relationship with supplier and end users. The new product and applications material will enhance the entry-level industrial distribution course material by familiarizing students with a broad cross-section of industries serviced by industrial distribution.
Stay tuned for updates on the new material in late 2010. |
| ICP Developing Certificate to Qualify Entry-Level Job Candidates |
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One of the first projects guiding ICP was the Job Skills & Task Analysis and Skill-Based Learning Progression. Developed by the PTDA Foundation, these learning objectives served as a foundation upon which community and technical colleges could build an industrial distribution curriculum.
As part of the expansion plan, ICP is reviewing, updating and expanding the industrial distribution learning objectives as the basis for 1) building industrial distribution programs and curriculum and 2) an industrial distribution certificate for "entry-level" customer service and sales employees.
The certificate will help you identify job seekers who have basic product knowledge for a wide variety of industrial products, strengthen your workforce and decrease the time and expense of training new employees.
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