MHI and Kern County School District Building Career Pathways

In recent years, its strategic location and high quality workforce have turned Kern County, California into a logistics cluster. This success has created new opportunities for local residents and new challenges for the education system. Logistics is a critical industry for the state of California, and the number and type of supply chain career opportunities in Kern County is steadily rising.

Recently, the Kern County School District, in partnership with MHI, held a business education luncheon to address the growing supply chain labor needs of local industry. The meeting included representatives from many of the 40 major distribution centers within the county. It also included representatives from a number of local schools, community colleges, and universities.

According to Kern Economic Development Corporation, “Kern County’s transportation, logistics and advanced manufacturing industry has grown significantly in the past decade, thanks to companies like Frito-Lay, Bolthouse Farms, Target, Sears, IKEA and Famous Footwear. The industry employs over 25,000 people in key segments of distribution, including road, air, rail, logistics and warehousing and distributing product.“

Brian Miller, assistant principal for Kern High School District, said: “We need to ensure that our education system is preparing people for the jobs that are available, and to do what we need to have a partnership with local supply chain companies. This luncheon was a great opportunity to get that discussion started.”

Daniel Stanton, vice president of education and workforce development for MHI, said: “Workforce challenges are one of the biggest concerns for our industry, as highlighted in the U.S. Roadmap for Material Handling and Logistics and in the 2015 MHI Annual Industry Report. We’re excited to support this proactive collaboration in Kern County that could significantly improve the capabilities of their workforce.”

Kern County’s transportation, logistics and advanced manufacturing industry has grown significantly in the past decade, thanks to companies like Bolthouse Farms.

“MHI runs a number of programs focused on supporting education, including an annual Educators Summit which will be held July 20-23 in Patterson, CA,” said Angela Jenkins, career and technical education coordinator for MHI. “We look forward to partnering with Kern County on this journey to enhance the CTE offerings in the Central Valley.”

The Kern High School District is headquartered in Bakersfield, California and serves the county of Kern located at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley. The Kern High School District is California’s largest 9-12 high school district with more than 35,000 students and 3,500 employees.