Photo caption: St. Clair County Community College (SC4) and Mott Community College employees receive training Wednesday, July 22, on new radio frequency identification equipment for students in the Acheson Technology Center on SC4's Port Huron campus.

St. Clair County Community College offers transportation, distribution and logistics programs

St. Clair County Community College (SC4) in Port Huron this fall is introducing two new certificate programs in the fields of transportation, distribution and logistics.

The certificate programs are in radio frequency identification technology and transportation and logistics technology. Both programs will give students the education they need to compete in the growing shipping and import/export industries.

Shipping is a prominent industry in southeast Michigan, said Dennis Valade, SC4 transportation, distribution and logistics project manager.

"A key aspect of international freight is that it comes right through Port Huron," Valade said. "The Detroit area transportation infrastructure is expected to continue to grow."

The radio frequency identification technology certificate will train students to set up an RFID system, test and troubleshoot the system components and modify the system. Students will get hands-on training, as well as warehouse and storage/retrieval experience working with software, tags, readers, antennas and peripheral equipment.

The transportation and logistics technology certificate will give students a working knowledge of the freight transportation industry. This includes supply chain management, domestic and international freight operations, import and export procedures and documents, and border security. Completing this certificate will prepare students for entry-level positions in transportation management, U.S. Customs, logistics management, freight operations and supply chain operations.

Both programs were funded as part of a $2 million grant, in partnership with Mott Community College in Flint, under the Community-Based Job Training grants, as implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. The grant is providing the program and equipment to train more than 400 workers in the tracking and movement of goods.

For this program, the Port Huron college is collaborating with regional business, education and industry partners.

Radio frequency identification tags supplement bar codes for tracking inventory. Instead of having to scan only a barcode, a company also can use radio frequencies to read a package's information remotely.

SC4 has established a state-of-the-art lab to train students for the jobs. The lab features a working conveyor system, radio frequency identification equipment and related computer equipment.

"The equipment will emulate warehouse activities and gives students a basic understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the technology," Valade said.

Classes for both programs begin Aug. 24 in Port Huron.

For program details and more information about careers in transportation, call the college's Engineering Technology Department at (810) 989-5754 or visit www.sc4.edu/transportation.