Dec. 4, 2024 Supply chain management, or the movement of goods and services, is something many of us used to take for granted. Then the pandemic hit, and our kaleidoscopes shifted dramatically.  We saw news reports of heavily-laden ships languishing in the Port of Los Angeles, which led to delays from legendary distributors like Amazon and Walmart. Automotive, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers all suffered from decreased production and longer lead times. The average price of lumber skyrocketed from $300 per thousand board feet all the way up to $1700, and the residential real estate market has yet to recover fully. Supply chain issues caused a global ripple effect, from national economies all the way down to the individual consumer. After that, conversations about supply chains stole center stage. It’s now a hot career opportunity that you can enter quickly if you start with a  supply chain operations management certificate from Grand Rapids Community College. “Movement is strategy, and strategy impacts profit,” said Felix Pereiro, head of the Business department at GRCC. “It’s part of the value chain of how you manufacture and then offer goods, whether from wholesale to retail or direct to consumer. If you can’t effectively source, make and ship your product, then nothing else really matters.” The career opportunities in this field are exploding. Just last month, there were 1,358 supply chain job openings in Michigan, with 165 of them in Grand Rapids alone. In response to the high demand, GRCC has partnered with leading area employers to craft a supply chain management curriculum that employers love.  “If you do well in these courses, our partner institutions, as well as many others, will want to hire you,” Pereiro said. “If you want to go further with your education, any four-year institution will want you. And if you graduate with a four-year degree, you will literally have four to five job offers by the time you graduate, based on current talent demand.” It’s a seller’s market, and people with relevant education are the sellers.  Career opportunities in supply chain management “The huge demand in this field means money,” Pereiro said. “We’re seeing signing bonuses all over the place. These November numbers confirmed that salaries are running commensurate with the demand. For example, someone who earns a supply chain management certificate increases their chances of being immediately employable as a procurement clerk, with a median salary of roughly $45,000. A quality control analyst could potentially make $50,000 plus. A purchasing agent comes in over $67,000. If you are talented and driven, your employer may very well pay for graduate studies. And the more education you complete, the higher the numbers go.” Money matters, but this career field offers a whole lot more.  “Supply chain expertise means endless mobility,” Pereiro said. “You could work in procurement, operations, logistics, marketing or distribution. You could work in import/export enterprises. We live in a global marketplace powered by the movement of goods. Your expertise could take you anywhere in the world."  This field is also a natural choice for those with the passion to impact the environment and sustainability. GRCC puts the subject front and center in every class.  “We have to take care of this planet,” Pereiro said. “So how do we properly source goods and materials in a sustainable and equitable way? If, for example, your company’s goal is net zero, that won’t happen by accident. You’ll need people who can go right on down the chain, ensuring that all suppliers are doing their part. What’s exciting is that consumers will pay a premium to companies that demonstrate responsible sourcing decisions. Our students learn about social justice, fair trade, sustainability and much more. Every professor incorporates these topics into each supply chain class.”  Pereiro noted that supply chain management is an evolving, ever-changing field. As retail space becomes more expensive, choices about how and where to distribute products continue to evolve as well. Each decision about sourcing, making, selling and shipping materials and goods must add value.  “These are strategy careers, not procurement jobs,” Pereiro said. Learn more about the supply chain operations management certificate at GRCC . This story was reported by Julie Hordyk.

Dec. 2, 2024 How does someone learn to get dressed after a hip replacement? How does a child with dyslexia learn to form letters? How does someone recovering from a stroke learn to drive again?  All these questions relate to life skills needs and that’s what occupational therapy is about. “An occupational therapy assistant (OTA) helps people learn to function in daily life. This field actually has its roots in mental health, but now you find occupational therapy in many different settings,”  said Matthew Mekkes, program director at Grand Rapids Community College. “We work in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, senior care facilities and therapy practices. There’s a growing number of professionals in home health care. And approximately one-third of all practitioners work in schools. Occupational therapy is everywhere.” Right now, this career field is in high demand. In fact, there’s what you might call a perfect storm.  “We have a growing population of children receiving special education. We have an aging population that wants to remain independent,” Mekkes said.  “We are seeing more people with mental health challenges who need support. And all the baby boomers who used to do this work are retiring. There’s a perfect storm of increasing need, coupled with less supply. That creates a lot of opportunity.” OTAs work under the direction of an occupational therapist and often as part of a team that could include physical therapists, nurses, teachers, special education experts and other professionals. “People sometimes think that an assistant in this field is an extra person who does no independent work, but that could not be further from the truth,” Mekkes said. “The occupational therapist does the initial evaluation and makes the plan. Then the OTA carries out that plan by working directly with the patient. There are check-in meetings to assess progress, but the OTA is doing autonomous work treating the patient or student.” What's the difference between an occupational therapist and an occupational therapy assistant? According to Mekkes, there are two significant differences between an occupational therapist and an OTA.  “The first difference is the amount of education required. An occupational therapist has a minimum of a master’s degree and may have a doctorate. That’s six to eight years of education after high school. The OTA program can be completed in two to three years,” Mekkes said. “The other key difference is how much direct patient care is performed. Occupational therapists spend roughly 70% of their time doing hands-on care, and 30% doing paperwork or administration. OTAs spend 90-95% of their time in direct patient care.”  GRCC’s program exposes students to a variety of settings where occupational therapy can be applied.  “Our students receive a high-quality generalist education. The board exam, which students must pass in order to be licensed, includes all aspects of practice, from infants to geriatrics. Our students have five areas of field work on their resumes when they graduate,” Mekkes said. “They engage in faculty-led field work at a preschool, a homeless shelter and a physical rehabilitation center. They also complete two full-time rotations in which they are working directly with a licensed professional. That exposure helps them prepare for their boards, makes them more marketable, and helps them solidify their primary area of interest. We have a historical board passing rate of 95-100%, and the majority of last year’s students had jobs before they graduated.” Mekkes also notes that the OTA program has broad student appeal. That’s partly because it is not a competitive program. Anyone who has completed the prerequisites can enroll, starting in the fall semester. If there are more applicants than open positions, a wait list process guides entrance to the program. Right now, there is not a wait. “Yes, we have some students fresh out of high school. We also have many students for whom this is a second career, or a career advancement from another area of health care,” Mekkes said. “The average age of students in this program is 28, with many 30-40 year olds in the mix. I think that’s because an OTA can earn a great hourly wage after only two to three years of schooling and without a significant debt burden.”  The flexibility of the GRCC program also helps make the program accessible for all students, both at the Main Campus in Grand Rapids as well as the  Lakeshore Campus in Holland .  “Most students work part- or full-time while going through the program. It requires only one to two days per week of in-person work, outside of the full-time clinical rotations that occur in the final semester,” Mekkes said. “The rest of the program is completed in a hybrid format with a combination of online and in-person classes and labs. We also have many options for clinical rotation placements, including positions throughout West Michigan and in the Lakeshore communities.” Learn more about the Occupational Therapy Assistant program at GRCC. This story was reported by Julie Hordyk.