April 4, 2022

Supply Chain Management Examines Vital Issues

John Garcia, Zachary Miles and Shain Scherer

Program Launched in 2021; Two Students Almost Finished

Because of many disruptions of consumer products – or the parts needed to produce goods – the term “supply chain” is more and more part of everyday conversation. Given the ongoing challenges, it’s apparent that skilled professionals are needed in a variety of industries to manage supply chain issues.

A dose of help is on the way, thanks to Schoolcraft College.

Schoolcraft College launched its Supply Chain Management (SCM) program in January 2021, and two students are about to be the first to complete the program. Another is making his mark in supply chain right now while still attending class.

The two students with the finish line in sight illustrate how Supply Chain Management can be a good fit no matter your level of expertise or familiarity with the subject.

One student, John Garcia, is on the front lines of Supply Chain Management – he’s a helicopter pilot who delivers materials both locally and nationally. He’s even delivered microchips to automotive plants.

Students in the Supply Chain Management program recently learned about challenges in the restaurant industry from Christopher C. Misiak, Program Coordinator for Culinary Arts.

“When I was exploring degree options last winter, I was made aware of the SCM program, which was beginning when I would start school, and was immediately sold,” Garcia said. “I felt this was a good choice because it aligned with my career and am very interested in the transportation industry and movement of goods.”

The other student, Zachary Miles, graduated from high school in 2020. He got his start at Schoolcraft in high school as a Dual Enrollment student, then became a full-time student in the Spring 2020 term.

I started attending Schoolcraft College in January 2020 as a Dual Enrollment student,” Miles said. “I have mostly taken business and general education courses, but also Psychology, Political Science, and German.

“After discovering the Supply Chain Management program in Winter 2021, my main priority is to finish with a Skills Certificate and transfer to Eastern Michigan to get a bachelor’s degree and possibly an MBA.”

To help students achieve their goals, the Supply Chain Management credentials are “stackable.” That means the Skills Certificate flows to the Certificate, which flows to the Associate in Applied Science Degree. Courses also can transfer to a four-year school to pursue a bachelor’s degree. (See your Academic Advisor for details.)

“Both of these students have mentioned to me several times how proud they are to be the first students to complete this program,” said Steve Donovan, Instructor and Supply Chain Management Program Consultant. “It gives me great satisfaction to see how proud they are to complete a program we just launched a year ago.”

Miles appreciates the real-world perspective that Donovan, who began as a Consultant on the Supply Chain Management program in 2018 after a distinguished career in the automotive industry, brings to the classroom.

Supply Chain Management students (left to right) John Garcia, Zachary Miles and Shain Scherer.

“He has done an outstanding job of explaining the course material and connecting it to real life,” Miles said. “I felt like trying to take every opportunity and really trying to connect each thing I learn in real life is the best and most helpful way of mastering the course content, and he’s done that with simulations, guest speakers and field trips.”

Another student, Shain Scherer, was able to make a connection and is working in the industry. Now he’s “earning while he’s learning” as he pursues the Associate Degree.

“During the Spring 2021 term, I brought in a guest speaker from Expeditors, a third-party logistics company in Romulus,” Donovan said. “I connected Shain with a representative I had been working with. He got an interview and has been working for them since September.”

Scherer started in SCM in May of 2021 and had been serving tables and bartending before his new opportunity.

“I’ve been working as an Air Export agent,” he said. “I figured if I was going to be in school for this, it would be wise to get a jump start on my career as soon as possible.

“I learned about the program while looking through the course catalog at Schoolcraft. I have a few friends who work in the industry and they seem happy with their jobs. Also around that time with the pandemic still going, supply chain has become an everyday issue. The more I learned about it, the more interested I became.”

That interest has been stoked further in class.

“Themost helpful thing I’ve learned in my classes would be the current event examinations we’ve done in the Supply Chain classes,” he said. “I work in air exports so now things like supply chain disruption really affect my day to day. Whether it was an airport being shut down in Ukraine or weather issues, all of these things affect my current job, so it’s interesting to take a look at it.

The Supply Chain Management program and its focus on actually applying the work to a job and getting a job have been incredibly helpful the last few months, and I’m excited to keep getting after it.”

Learn more about Schoolcraft College’s Supply Chain Management program. 

Registration for Fall 2022 is now open.


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