REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- A new work-share initiative will allow supply chain management employees to take classes in the morning and work in the afternoon.
The U.S. Army Materiel Command and The University of Alabama in Huntsville hosted a signing ceremony at the Bob Jones Auditorium Jan. 7, launching the first for-credit graduate certificate program in supply chain management.
"We believe it is very smart to partner with academia to further develop our government employees," said AMC Deputy Commander, Lt. Gen. Patricia McQuistion. "This program offers an immediate and significant return on investment. Throughout the course the students will gain knowledge from the classroom, guided by the faculty and their mentors, and be able to immediately apply it to their everyday operations."
The collaboration between AMC and UAH will train 20 selected civilians beyond Army specific-logistics to the greater supply chain management process using best practices from industry. The three-semester program will start Jan. 14, and end in December 2015.
"This program directly supports AMC's strategic priorities, particularly optimizing the global supply chain and developing adaptive Army leaders," said Clay Bradley, AMC Logistic and Technology Program Manager. "We expect individuals to become more innovative in developing and sustaining readiness solutions through the world-class supply chain management practices explored in the program."
The program will go beyond traditional logistics and focus on developing critical thinking skills in order to understand the whole process and develop solutions before problems form.
"We want people to have a better understanding of the end-to-end supply chain and see the problems or gaps to correct those before they become an issue," said Bradley. "By investing in AMC's human capital, we ensure the workforce, organization, and the Army is equipped to meet future readiness challenges."
At the conclusion of the AMC--UAH certificate program, the academic credit earned may then be applied to a M.S. in Supply Chain and Logistics Management for those candidates who choose to continue studies on their own.
"The collaboration that exists among the Army, Redstone Arsenal and UAH has been built on decades of quality results and trust," said UAH President Robert Altenkirch. "Our faculty understands the important role that UAH has with its academic and research partners, and they work extremely hard to ensure the success of our graduates, as well as the value our alumni bring to the workplace by making immediate contributions to the workplace."
Caron St. John, dean of the university's College of Business Administration, said UAH is ideally suited to provide the quality instruction needed by the Army and contractors in the region. She cites the college's extensive capabilities and experience in supply chain management.
"Our college has deep research capability in supply chain and logistics management and experience working with AMC on supply chain matters. Also, we have been involved in supply chain and logistics education for many years, with particular focus on working professional graduate students," St. John said. "These capabilities, coupled with our accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) prepare us to be a strong collaborator with AMC on the custom delivery of this graduate certificate."
AMC officials said this certification program will be focused on, but not limited to, Army DoD civilian career programs - supply management, materiel maintenance management, transportation and distribution management, as well as ammunition management.
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