COVINGTON, Ga. - The City of Covington and Newton County have partnered with Georgia Institute of Technology to provide a pilot program to help spur growth in the important field of logistics.
They invite residents of Newton, Rockdale, Walton, Jasper, DeKalb and Morgan Counties to participate in the pilot program that will waive the tuition for the first 100 participants for up to four courses in the Logistics Education And Pathways (LEAP) program.
“The Georgia Tech Supply Chain & Logistics Institute (SCL) is pleased to partner with the City of Covington, Newton County and the surrounding counties to bring the LEAP online courses in a pilot program to those who are eager to increase their knowledge of the logistics industry. These students will learn the fundamentals needed to help prepare them for entry-level positions in this quickly growing industry,” Carole Bennett, MBA, director of program development and marketing at Georgia Tech, said.
The opportunity for waived tuition is geared toward anyone in the select counties looking to get started in a career in logistics, and also includes a customer service operations course that could apply toward most industries and businesses. The four online courses consist of Supply Chain Management Principles, Warehousing Operations, Transportation Operations and Customer Service Operations.
Upon completion of each course, students will receive a Georgia Tech Certificate which is listed on their official Georgia Tech Professional education transcript. To learn more about the courses or apply online, visit www.scl.gatech.edu/leap.
“Covington is growing rapidly in terms of jobs and investment and it is great to see Georgia Tech noticing that. As demand for qualified job applicants increase, this certificate will only become more valuable. This is truly a life changing opportunity that is being made available," Ronnie Johnston, the mayor of Covington, said.
The potential for career growth in logistics is huge. According to Fortune Magazine, industries and businesses in logistics will be looking to fill roughly 1.4 million jobs by 2018. The increase in jobs combined with a shortage of qualified candidates means one thing – an exciting opportunity for those willing to meet the requirements.
Ralph Staffins, President of the Covington Newton Chamber of Commerce, said, “We are excited to partner with Georgia Tech, along with the City of Covington, Newton County, Newton County Schools and Newton County Economic Development. This partnership brings this opportunity for career growth to our residents. There are hundreds of logistics jobs on the horizon in Newton County and this opportunity to get a Georgia Tech Professional Education certificate will help them stand out with the tools needed when applying for those positions.”
"This is a great educational tool for our county," Newton County Chairman Marcello Banes said. "That Georgia Tech Professional Education is partnering with the county and our chamber of commerce will be a great help to our citizens as they work to get better qualified for some of the many career opportunities available in Newton County."
The City of Covington and Newton County are offering a free information session on July 10 for those interested in learning more about this opportunity. The information session will be from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Newton County Courthouse, located at 1132 Usher St., NW, in Covington. Participants are encouraged to apply for the course at www.scl.gatech.edu/leap prior to attending the information session. To register for the information session, visit www.LEAPNewton.com.
The Georgia Tech LEAP program is supported by generous donations from JPMorgan Chase and Schneider National.
