Instructor Spotlight: Jerel Safford

With 23 years of logistics operations experience behind him and a Master of Arts degree in Procurement and Acquisitions Management, Jerel Safford is the premier instructor developing and training workforce professionals needed to fill local Supply Chain & Procurement Management positions. His knowledge derives from 22 years of service in the US Army specializing in Logistics combined with hands on experience gained at Gulfstream Aerospace Distribution Center in Savannah, Georgia. Paving the road to his current role of Distribution Operations Technician Instructor at Valencia College in Orlando, FL. This sought-after program is aligned with MSSC’s Certified Logistics Associate (CLA) and Certified Logistics Technician (CLT) curriculum and provides graduates with the needed certification and knowledge base for immediate hire. Safford places emphasis on the connotation of products his students purchase and services they obtain daily by relating them directly to the supply chain process, and in doing so, allows his students to gain a personal understanding of day-to-day operations of any distribution/warehouse system.

Safford highlights that students completing the CLA/CLT certifications not only gain vast knowledge of first line operational practices in supply chain logistics and distribution management, but they also receive training that will lead to leadership/management roles in the life cycle of products and services that in turn allows them to gain of understanding of how products start out as raw material right into the customers possession. This, he says, teaches the importance of ensuring the flow and accountability of items, processes and procedures including the safe operation of counterbalance equipment.



One of Safford’s unique best practices is allowing the students to teach others what they’ve learned and understand about the Supply Chain process, with another instructing method being to understand the needs and operational flows of the local industry partners. This allows him to teach from a walk-run mentality, bypassing the crawl stage entirely, and gives the students exactly what they will be expecting once hired and the opportunity for them to see it holistically. “Lastly,” he says, “we conduct daily stretching as a great way to recharge, give them a mental break and calm the mind for the best outcome during work hours.”

White House Convenes ARP Workforce Summit

On Wednesday, July 13, the White House hosted a summit titled “The American Rescue Plan and the Workforce.” The half day event convened state and local stakeholders and high ranking cabinet officials within the Biden Administration. The event was intended to highlight the ongoing impact the ARP is having on workers and learners, particularly regarding the more flexible aspects of the legislation passed last year. More information on these efforts can be found here.

House Continues Work on FY23 Funding

The House Committee on Appropriations advanced funding legislation for the upcoming 2023 federal fiscal year (FY23) set to begin October 1. The bill proposes $45 million for the Carl D. Perkins Act (Perkins V) basic state grant program — a proposed increase in line with what the program secured in the previous fiscal year. In addition, the bill proposes $50 million for a new competitive grant program to fund consortia of eligible recipients under Perkins V’s national activities account. The bill is expected to be considered as part of wider funding legislation in the coming weeks. Following this step, formal activity will then center on the Senate where lawmakers in the upper chamber will need to pass comparable funding legislation ahead of the fast-approaching October 1 FY23 deadline. 

Department of Education Highlights Funding for Academic Recovery

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced a series of actions aimed at addressing student learning loss as a result of the pandemic. As part of the National Partnership for Student Success, ED will partner with AmeriCorps and the Johns Hopkins School of Education to recruit a quarter million new school tutors and mentors in the coming years. Officials hope that this additional capacity will help more schools and districts accelerate learning and reverse learning loss trends. The effort highlights how stakeholders can leverage and otherwise make use of federal pandemic aid funding provided as part of the American Rescue Plan. More information on the effort can be found here.

California Plans $231 Million Investment in Apprenticeships

The 2022-2023 California budget invests over $231 million in apprenticeship-related spending this year and more than $480 million over the next three years. New funding includes $175 million to create apprenticeship innovation funding for non-traditional programs, $65 million to create a youth apprenticeship grant program, $15 million to fund a unit that works to advance women in construction, and an increase of over 30% to the reimbursement rate for training in building and construction apprenticeships. Budget information can be found at the CA Legislature website.

More Employers Adopt Skill-Based Hiring

More employers are welcoming applicants without four-year college degrees amid a national

workforce shortage. The apparent shift to skills-based hiring comes as enrollment in higher

education has declined. Full story can be found at the Hechinger Report.

Manufacturers Face Continuously Evolving Technology

Manufacturers have used machine vision technologies to mitigate the risk of disruptions, automate processes, improve productivity and drive profit, and the technology is continuing to evolve, writes David Dechow. He writes that industry leaders need to figure out how to keep pace with the technological advancements, making sure they have the capabilities for new applications like deep learning, cloud and edge computing, 3D imaging and sensor technology. Full Story at Industry Week.

Factory Automation Keeps Rising, According to Ericsson Survey

A survey of manufacturing workers and executives worldwide found that they expect automation to become even more common over the next decade. About 70% of respondents expect to be using at least five information and communications technology-enabled production tools during the next five years, while 80% have deployed 5G networks or believe they will deploy them in that time frame. The full story can be found here.

CTE Programs: A Bright Spot in Spring Postsecondary Enrollment

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center released its postsecondary enrollment estimates for the spring 2022 semester. Community college enrollment declined by 7.8% or 351,000 students, from the prior spring. Enrollment dropped the most among adults (-10.8%), full-time students (-10.7%) and women (-9.2%). Additionally, enrollment in community college certificate programs decreased by 3.7% this spring, which is notable compared to certificate programs’ 4.3% increase during the fall 2021 semester. Most interesting to CTE advocates, enrollment in CTE programs at two-year institutions also significantly increased this spring. Agriculture programs experienced the largest enrollment growth, with a 47.8% increase. Enrollment in skilled trades programs also grew, including transportation and materials moving (28.9%); precision production (16.7%); and mechanic and repair technologies (11.5%). Construction programs grew 19.3%, returning to pre-pandemic enrollment levels.

Upcoming Events

Best Practices and Innovation in CTE Conference

September 28-30, 2022, Cape Cod, MA

Sponsored by ACTE and NCLA

Advance CTE Fall Meeting

October 17-19, 2022, Baltimore, MD

Forward Together: Creating Limitless Opportunities

CareerTech Vision

November 30-September 3, Las Vegas, NV

Sponsored by the Association of Career and Technical Education

Workforce Summit: Forging Partnerships

October 18-22, 2022, Cincinnati, OH

Sponsored by The Manufacturing Institute