CAMBRIDGE, MASS, February 4, 2021 – The MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (MIT CTL) and Walmart have teamed up to create a new custom course in supply chain management for Walmart supply chain associates from underrepresented communities who are on a leadership track.
Funded by two Walmart associate groups within the supply chain organization, Women of Supply Chain and People of Color, the course draws on MIT CTL’s ground-breaking online MicroMasters Program in Supply Chain Management. Following an initial pilot in 2020 attended by more than 70 Walmart associates, a new session with 80 associates has kicked off.
MIT CTL’s custom courses are created in collaboration with client companies. “We take MicroMasters content that matches their specific needs and organize it into lesson blocks,” explains Dr. Eva Ponce, the program’s Executive Director. “The company chooses the most relevant modules, and we structure the course based on these requirements.” Companies can also choose the course duration, the weekly study effort required to complete the course, and the instruction mix that is the best fit for their educational goals.
These goals vary from company to company, says Ponce. Some enterprises want to upskill their staff; others use the courses in career development or staff retention programs. “The courses work especially well for busy, full-time employees who want to expand their knowledge and invest in career growth,” she says.
The new course will run for four months and complements other Walmart leadership programs. Walmart is a member of the MIT CTL Supply Chain Exchange.
NOTES TO EDITORS
MIT CTL has developed and implemented more than 20 custom courses in various sectors for companies such as Walmart, AbInBev, Ahold Delhaize, GE, and Shell. In addition to custom courses, since it was launched in 2015, more than 380,000 learners from 196 countries have enrolled in the open enrollment MicroMasters Program in Supply Chain Management.
MIT CTL media contact: Ken Cottrill, Editorial Director, Kencott@mit.edu