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-July 8, 2009

 
 

Supply Chain Graphic of the Week: What are Businesses Looking for in New Supply Chain Recruits?

 
  Ability to See the Big Picture Tops List of Needs versus Skill Sets  
 

By SCDigest Editorial Staff

 
 

Most agree that the supply chain profession needs more talent, both in quantity and quality.

A recent report from AMR Research on the top supply chain universities, in part, addressed this topic (See Let the Debate Begin! AMR Names Top Universities for Supply Chain Management for a complete review of the AMR report.)

As part of its research, AMR asked more than 100 supply chain executives in what areas new hires in supply chain management need more skills.

As seen in the graphic below, "Seeing the big picture," was the top capability cited, followed, not surprisingly, by a dsire to find recruits with more real world experience.

 

 

We were actually a little surprised that "understanding risk management" scored so low among the choices, though it's not clear if that is because many new graduates have this skill or that it isn't expected of new recruits, so that businesses aren't disappointed in the skills graduates have in this area.

Regardless, what approach universities should be taking in educating supply chain students is clearly an under-explored question, and AMR may start a worthwhile discussion on the topic.

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