On January 14, 2009, at the ProMat 2009 International Logistics Show in Chicago, the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC) publicly announces the availability of a new, industry-led training and credentialing system for front-line workers in supply chain logistics. Individuals will be assessed for two credentials: the foundational-level Certified Logistics Associate (CLA) certificate and mid-level Certified Logistics Technician (CLT) Certification. CLA is a prerequisite for CLT.

These certifications address the core competencies of higher skilled, front-line material handling workers (entry-level to first line of supervision) across the supply chain: from factories, to warehouses, to distribution centers, to transporters. Based upon industry-defined, nationally validated standards, the system includes courses, textbooks, teacher training, assessments, registry, and MSSC credentials. For an outline of the substantive content underpinning these credentials, see “MSSC Key Work Activities for Standards, Training, and Assessment: CLA and CLT.”

Officially recognized by the federal National Skill Standards Board in 2001, the MSSC is the leading national body for certifying the foundational skills of front-line industrial workers. The MSSC has developed this new logistics certification system under a July 2007 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to the North Central Texas Workforce Board (NCTWB) and in partnership with the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC).

These industry-recognized, nationally portable CLA and CLT credentials help prepare individuals for careers in the rapidly growing and changing world of global supply chain logistics. Companies will benefit from a pipeline of higher skilled workers, decreased recruitment costs, elimination of remedial training costs, and an agile, readily trainable workforce able to adapt to change - the “Industrial Athlete of the Future.”