NaviGo and Gateway Community & Technical College held a series of signing events to welcome an ambitious — and eager — group of high school students to the River Cities Hub Network — and to celebrate their first step toward the dual-credit program that will lead to a promising job.
The high school students will finish their graduation requirements and at the same time earn credits at Gateway while working toward their Certified Logistics Associate Certification (CLA) and ultimately the Certified Logistics Technician Certification.
These certifications are nationally recognized credentials endorsed by the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council [MSSC].
This group of high school students were among the first to sign their agreements at Gateway’s Covington facility recently. (Photo by Patrick Lamping/Gateway)
There are currently 32 active students from the River City Schools, with Lloyd, Newport, Dayton, Bellevue and Ludlow all having participating students.
Rob Norris is Supply Chain Instructor for Gateway and is excited about this “incredible jump-start” for these students “to a supply chain career.”
“It can lead to innumerable opportunities for these students,” Norris said.
The exciting thing for the student signing up like major sports stars was the job — and knowing they will be able to make some money for their work.
That’s exactly what NaviGo Director Dave Fleischer had in mind as he worked toward this moment over the last several months.
“All of these students will have real jobs, earning real money,” he said. “The interest and support in having these students in the pipeline have been incredible.”
Each student had their chance to be recognized as they signed the agreement. (Photo by Patrick Lamping/Gateway)
NaviGo — a college and career prep program, now part of Children, Inc. — will provide the mentoring support for the students as they take on this exceptional program.
“The students meet with me for four days for 16 weeks for 1 hour and 15 minutes,” Norris said. “The first eight weeks are focused on getting them ready for a Certified Logistics Associate Certification [CLA]. The second 8 weeks are focused on getting them ready for a Certified Logistics Technician [CLT] Certification.”
The CLA focuses on foundational knowledge that includes the Global Logistics Environment, Material Handling Equipment, Safety Principles, and an introduction to Quality and Teamwork.
The CLT takes a deeper dive into operational practices and procedures; including Receiving, Storage, Inventory Control, Hazardous Materials, and Dispatch Operations.
“This is an exceptional partnership,” Norris said, “that can meaningfully impact the trajectory of skill development and deployment in the practice of distribution throughout the region.”
