Looking for a warehouse line supervisor, transportation analyst, customer service representative, or other entry-level employee? Or are you interested in providing current employees with the skills they need for those jobs? If so, you have until March 2017 to take advantage of what is likely one of the most cost-effective supply chain training programs in the United States.

The LINCS (Leveraging, Integrating, Networking, Coordinating Supplies) national supply chain management education and certification program (also available as CSCMP's Supply Chain Pro Fundamentals certification) was founded three years ago with a US $24.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. It was designed to provide supply chain training primarily for veterans, people whose jobs have been outsourced overseas, and those who are underemployed or unemployed.

LINCS consists of eight different courses: Supply Chain Management Principles, Warehousing Operations, Transportation Operations, Customer Service Operations, Demand Planning, Manufacturing and Service Operations, Inventory Management, and Supply Management and Procurement. Students can either take the courses online or in instructor-led classes at any of the following colleges in the United States: Broward College, Florida State College at Jacksonville, and St. Petersburg College in Florida; Essex County College and Union County College in New Jersey; San Jacinto College in Texas; Long Beach City College in California; Columbus State Community College in Ohio; and Harper College in Illinois. CSCMP serves as the official industry partner and certifying body for LINCS.

For those who choose to take the courses online, the program is essentially free, except for a US $25 fee for proctoring the exam. Five of the nine colleges (San Jacinto, Broward, Florida State College, Union College, and Long Beach City College) offer the program at no charge but do not give any credits for the courses. The other four colleges currently charge for the program but also provide degree credits. When the grant ends at the end of March, the cost at each college will increase to include both the exam and their normal tuition.

For more information about the LINCS program, visit CSCMP's website.