Abstract:
BACKGROUND : There is currently a skills mismatch between what the third-party logistics (3PL)
industry expects from new supply chain management graduates and what the educational
system supplies. As the traditional roles of 3PLs are changing, subsequently increasing their
importance within the supply chain industry, supplying graduates with the necessary skills
becomes even more critical.
OBJECTIVES : The aim of this study was to determine what the South African 3PL industry
expects from new graduates with a bachelor’s degree in supply chain management or related
fields in relation to skills, personal attributes and knowledge.
METHOD : A generic qualitative research design was used to collect data from 12 participants
using semi-structured interviews.
RESULTS : It was found that academic institutions equip new graduates adequately with knowledge,
but not with the expected skills. Furthermore, the findings confirmed the current literature, while
also identifying additional expectations. 3PLs expect new graduates to perform various activities
throughout the supply chain, such as warehousing and transport activities, while simultaneously
using their technological knowledge and abilities to improve different processes within the
supply chain. This requires new graduates to be creative, innovative and analytical and to have
advanced communication skills. Therefore, supply chain management programmes should
provide graduates with more exposure and experiences in real-life supply chain settings.
CONCLUSION : The findings allow for academic institutions to revise and adapt their curricula to
meet the need of more practical skills development.
Description:
This article is based on the MPhil dissertation of M.A. who was
the main researcher. W.N. assisted as a supervisor with the
conceptualisation, literature review, research instruments and
review of the draft manuscript. T.K. provided methodological
and technical guidance.
