Northeast Florida education programs provide talent pipeline for next generation of transportation and logistics professionals

6 MIN READ

Written by Marcia Pledger

The demand for jobs in the port ecosystem is here to stay, and a growing number of educational providers in Northeast Florida are helping to create a talent pipeline.

In the Jacksonville area, a 2024 study by Martin Associates concluded that more than 28,000 people are employed in port-dependent positions — direct, indirect, and induced jobs that rely on the port. These jobs cover a range of administrative or trade specialties from sales and finance to truck driving and engine maintenance.

In Northeast Florida, there are several educational institutions offering programs with training in the transportation, logistics, or maritime sector, including Bluewater Maritime School, University of North Florida, Florida State College at Jacksonville, J-Tech, and Kaiser University. At the public-school level, high school certification programs are offered in Duval and St. Johns county school districts. These programs are designed to teach the valuable skills most desired by industry managers to support an evolving supply chain.

Preparing students for in-demand careers
Dr. Susan Amburgey, a professor of logistics at Florida State College at Jacksonville, has 46 years of experience in the logistics field. She first became interested in the supply chain at age 15, while working at her parents’ mom-and-pop grocery store in Kentucky. Her professional experience includes working as supervisor of a warehouse for a multi-million-dollar company in North Florida, as well as roles as a safety manager and a general manager at two transportation companies.

These days, she instructs students earning associate’s degrees in supply chain management and bachelor’s degrees in Logistics. Many are non-traditional students who are retired or active duty military members, women returning to the workforce, or people who want another degree to change or advance in their careers. She also teaches dual enrollment classes for Duval County high school students who earn college credits and receive a logistics and transportation certificate. 

“I absolutely love teaching! My teaching style is a hands-on approach,” Amburgey said. “The logistics lab in our Advanced Technology Center offers forklift simulators, a robot, and other components to help the world of logistics come alive within an educational setting.”

She added, “In the future, we will add a robotic arm to pick up items from pallets, put them in boxes on the conveyor belt, or relocate them to bins in the automotive carousel storage units. We also have a dedicated area in the lab that focuses on transportation modes such as trucking, rail, and ocean.”

“At FSCJ, we strive within our classes and through the Logistics Club to enrich students’ skills by providing educational resources on current trends and innovative logistical methods, facilitating networking opportunities among professionals, offering practical experiences through competitions, and providing guidance and support in pursuing career opportunities in logistics and supply chain management.” 

Amburgey said one of the lessons she has embedded into her transportation classes is strictly focused on JAXPORT. “I spent a week in the seven-week course centered on JAXPORT because of its importance to this region. My students not only do essay assignments detailing the history, present, and future of how JAXPORT impacts our region, but also present a PowerPoint to bring the information about the port alive within the classroom,” she said.

At the University of North Florida (UNF), students can earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration majoring in transportation and logistics or a master’s degree in logistics and supply chain management. Starting in 2025, the program will expand with new options for both business and non-business students, including minors and honors tracks in logistics and supply chain management.

UNF’s transportation and logistics (T&L) program is a leading, preeminent provider of high-quality undergraduate, graduate and executive education in logistics and supply chain management. The T&L program prepares students for opportunities in the dynamic and vibrant logistics industry in Jacksonville and nationwide.

In 2021, UNF received a significant gift from Crowley Maritime, creating the Crowley Center for Transportation and Logistics. The Center is designed to be a world leader in transportation and logistics research, education, and industry engagement. The gift helps support the Center’s operations and leadership, faculty support, visiting scholars, industry research, and student recruitment.

“UNF’s T&L program offers cutting-edge education, research projects and community collaboration opportunities with leading businesses to help prepare our students to be leaders in the field,” said Dr. Herbert Kotzab, UNF Crowley Center for Transportation and Logistics director. “UNF is also committed to the growth and development of skilled faculty who are conducting innovative research and preparing our students for new and evolving supply chain needs.”

Through the student organization, the Transportation and Logistics Society, students can network with local professionals and alumni, travel to industry conferences, and participate in community service projects, helping to integrate skills learned in the classroom into the real world.

Programs across UNF prepare students for careers in every stage of the supply chain, and along with transportation and logistics, are reflected as priorities in UNF’s strategic plan. These areas of focus include advanced manufacturing, coastal resilience, data science and cybersecurity.

From the classroom to the real world

Duval County Public Schools offers a Global Logistics Academy at First Coast High School, where students become a Manufacturing Skills Standards Council (MSSC) Certified Logistics Associate or MSCC Logistics Technician. Grant funding for the program is also enabling the district to update equipment, furniture, and curriculum.

“Exposing students to the transportation and logistics industry is critically important, as this is a growing targeted industry in our community, said Jill C. Fierle, Director of Career & Technical Education at Duval County Public Schools.

“With the close proximity to the port and other large companies in our area that are part of the logistics industry, employment opportunities are vast. Students who participate in these programs can learn employment skills that will carry them straight into a career or through post-secondary education,” Fierle said. “Creating a local talent pipeline is vital to Jacksonville’s economic success, and preparing students as our next workforce puts them in a place to have a successful future post high school graduation.”

DCPS plans to expand program offerings by opening a Global Logistics Academy at Edward H. White High School in the 2025-2026 school year, that will include a logistics lab.

Thanks to partnerships with organizations like Amazon, (through the Beyond School Walls program with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Florida), as well as companies like Crowley, both students and instructors are benefitting from professional development with current industry trends.

In St. Johns County, students at Beachside High School’s new Academy of Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management learn the critical thinking and problem-solving skills required to understand procurement and coordination in the movement of goods and materials. During their growth in the program, they can earn Certified Logistics Assistant, Certified Logistics Technician, Entrepreneurship in Small Business, and Project Management certifications. With about 2,200 students enrolled in the school, over 150 are participating in the logistics program.

The program’s director Kendra Stone said she’s passionate about this program because it challenged her to create resources from scratch that would make it unique. One of the first things she did was develop an advisory board that includes professionals from Coca-Cola Florida, Atlantic Logistics, Suddath, TREACE, Sprouts, JAXPORT, Crowley, and TOTE Maritime.

“This has been a priority, so from day one we have worked on developing business partnerships,” she said. “That’s why the passion for this Academy is so high, so many stakeholders have been a value to the direction of instruction. It was truly developed by the advisory board, and St. Johns County School District Staff.”

The focus of the program is to introduce students to all levels. In the first year, students learn about entrepreneurship, so they can understand how supply chain would impact their small business. Students build from there learning about running warehousing and distribution centers from a micro perspective. The school also has a hands-on lab that they are expanding thanks to a Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant. The lab will be outfitted with state-of-the-art automation technology for warehouse logistics.  The program includes learning about management operations and the Six Sigma approach to improving business processes. Students have the opportunity to leave the program with multiple certifications.

“It’s really exciting,” Stone said. “This is going to be a one-of-a-kind program. With the port in this area, there is a high need for more programs like this.”