As manager of a supply-chain business, Chris Powers has been recruiting at colleges for years trying to draw younger generations into the industry as senior employees age out.
Only recently has he put more of a focus on high-schoolers and helping them prepare the skills they need to be ready for full-time employment upon graduation.
Like Boeing and Volvo, Powers' employer, United Rentals, is just one of many throughout the state trying to introduce students to the supply chain and logistics industry, and this week marks another step in South Carolina's progress.
On April 25, more than 300 students from the Charleston area, Beaufort, Greer and Myrtle Beach will have the opportunity to experience statewide industry jobs when they gather for the day at the Union Pier cruise ship terminal.
The Port of Charleston is a major driver of jobs within South Carolina’s global logistics industry.
The goal is to turn their attention to industry jobs sooner than ever at businesses like BMW, Mercedes-Benz Vans and United Rentals, a Stamford, Conn.-based equipment rental company, where Powers is the North Charleston area manager.
Hosted by the Maritime Association of South Carolina, the State Ports Authority and SC Competes, the first Maritime & Logistics Youth Expo will connect those students with 34 technology, manufacturing, transportation companies and other employers, from Averitt Express to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Taylor Jackson, president of the maritime trade group, said the event prioritizes bringing education and workforce development closer to schools.
“All of these career paths exist right in our back yard, and you can have them with any level of education,” Jackson said.
The industry needs workers such as welders, who earn an average of $23 an hour, warehouse employees who average $24 an hour or truck drivers with an average pay of $26 an hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In the next 10 years alone, the trucking industry will need to hire on average 110,000 drivers annually, partly to backfill the jobs retirees will be vacating by 2028, the American Trucking Association projected.
To get a head start on hiring these workers, Jackson hopes students who attend the expo will consider applying for the global logistics and supply-chain program at North Charleston's Cooper River Center for Advanced Studies, where they can earn key credentials as they progress.
Tre'kwon Mitchell, a class of 2023 alumnus, said he secured a special identification card that's required for all workers at the port and a federal health and safety certification. He also learned how to drive a forklift under the center's logistics path.
Mitchell said he knew he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and drive a truck, but the experience before he even graduated was invaluable. He had on-site conversations with the likes of Amazon and Southern Freight, was able to practice handling heavy equipment, and during his senior year he was an intern with United Rentals, where he is now a certified driver.
The resume builders put him well ahead of college graduates who may have had a degree but had zero on-the-job training.
“Tre walked in here and already had all the things in place at only 19 years old,” said Powers, the United Rentals manager. “So, with him, we could put him to work right away because he understood the job.”
And to think Mitchell was the only student in his supply-chain classes for most of his schooling. Like Jackson and Powers, Mitchell hopes more of his generation learn what possibilities await them.
“The average person doesn't know what logistics is and there are a lot of different routes you can go in with global logistics and supply chain,” Mitchell said. “It's not just driving a truck every day. You can sit at a desk or work in a warehouse. There's so much more out there."
