Industrial Careers Pathway

Chicago, Ill. -- February 7, 2008 -- The Industrial Careers Pathway(R) (ICP) today announced several milestones in its efforts to increase awareness of industrial distribution careers.

Spearheaded by the PTDA Foundation, the Industrial Careers Pathway(R) is a multi-faceted North American workforce initiative that addresses the need for a skilled industrial distribution sales and customer service workforce today and tomorrow. ICP links students and job seekers to career paths in industrial distribution and manufacturing through partnerships with local educators and employers.

Mohawk College (Hamilton, Ontario), ICP's first of two Canadian academic partners, working with strong support of more than 20 distributors and manufacturers of electrical, fluid power, power transmission and computer hardware products, debuted the first in a series of courses aimed at teaching students industrial distribution basics.

"Industrial Distribution Leadership Certificate Program" (IDLCP), a 180-hour certificate program consisting of six 30-hour courses, began on January 19, 2008, with 26 students enrolled in the first course, "Business Fundamentals of Industrial Distribution." The course is being taught by Ted Chisholm, vice president finance and IT, BDI Canada Inc (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada). Due to the high turnout, Mohawk College plans to offer the course again in the late spring semester.

Visits by industry executives to college classrooms to talk about careers in industrial distribution drove enrollments in the winter semester offering of "Introduction to Industrial Distribution" at Henry Ford Community College (Dearborn, Mich.). Eight students completed the course which HFCC plans to offer again in the late spring semester.

Two certificates are offered by HFCC. "Industrial Distribution - Business Concentration" provides students with the skills necessary to work in a customer service capacity in the industrial distribution industry. "Industrial Distribution - Technical Concentration" focuses on product specifications offering students training in sales, warehouse management and customer support.

Six other colleges across the United States and Canada, including Vancouver, Philadelphia, Orlando, Cleveland, Omaha and the Twin Cities are working to develop or launch the introductory industrial distribution course "Essentials of Industrial Distribution" in the fall of 2008.

To build an online/hybrid version of the course, ICP has gathered a team of subject matter experts across a wide spectrum of industrial distribution industries, including fluid power, plumbing and industrial piping, heating and air-conditioning, electrical, electronic and telecommunications. Currently in development, the online course will introduce students to the overall structure of the industrial distribution industry; teach them how industrial distribution fits into the overall, global economic landscape; and expose them to the various business models that exist in the industry.

For more information about courses being offered in industrial distribution or other efforts being made by ICP to increase awareness of industrial distribution, visit www.idcareers.org or contact ICP at info@industrialcareerspathway.org or +1.312.516.2100.

The PTDA Foundation, whose work is funded solely by donations, was founded in 1982 to enhance knowledge, education, professionalism and productivity within the power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) industry.

The Foundation is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation whose operations are funded entirely by tax deductible contributions. Contributions are tax deductible to the full amount allowed by law.

Industrial Careers Pathway(R)
PTDA Foundation
230 West Monroe Street, Suite 1410
Chicago, Illinois 60606-4703
Voice: +1.312.516.2100
Fax: +1.312.516.2101
Web: www.idcareers.org
E-mail: info@industrialcareerspathway.org