First Class Graduates for Inventory Logistics Development Program

KANSAS CITY, Mo., July 8, 2008 – Eleven Full Employment Council (FEC) clients graduated from the first Inventory Logistics course offered to the Greater Kansas City community. The program included both incumbent workers and job seekers. Qualified students attended the course on a part-time basis for 6 weeks. The curriculum was designed in response to local industry sector company needs and those of the KC SMARTPORT partners.

The certificate program included topics such as: Fundamentals of Inventory Control, Problem Solving, Basics of Inventory Management, Lean Manufacturing, RFID Basics, Business Communication and Business Math which uses Microsoft Excel. Graduates of the training were awarded the American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS) Educational Certificate as well as the Certificate of Completion from the University of Central Missouri – Human Capital Academy.

The demand driven training class is just one of the courses born out of a partnership between the regional Missouri Workforce Investment Board - the Full Employment Council (FEC), and the Human Capital Academy (HCA) of the University of Central Missouri (UCM) in an effort to help the Kansas City labor market be more competitive. “This demand driven Logistics and Supply Chain Management training will deliver an ongoing pool of qualified workers for KC SMARTPORT partners and local employers” says Scott Boyce, Vice President of Train-To-Work Development for the Human Capital Academy.

David Auxier, owner of  Barron’s-Auxier, Inc., Saint Joseph, MO. said, during the highly charged Inventory Logistics training each student “…learned how and when to apply various cost avoidance profit improvement techniques involving Inventory, Logistics, Purchasing, Distribution, and RFID... These graduates now consider these principles as required day-to-day efforts to reduce costs for their employers… I thank these graduates for pushing so hard to obtain excellence”. David Auxier, CFPIM, CFDM, is the course instructor and one of only 1200 individuals worldwide to achieve the title CFPIM (Certified Fellow in Production and Inventory Management).

Funding for the course was developed through state and federal sources. The FEC successfully recruited students and provided funding for the course depending on the individual client need. Based on updated employer feedback, the program topics have been enhanced and this certificate program will now be called the “Supply Chain/Logistics Development Program.”

The next track of courses is scheduled to begin at the end of July with programs starting every 8-10 weeks. The class track will expand over the next 12 months to include a team leader curriculum. Employers and individuals wanting to participate in the training should contact Duke Crosswhite at the FEC at 816.838.0776 or via email - dcrosswhite@FECKC.org.

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