Women’s Empowerment in Global Value Chains
From logistics to flow management - cross-functional supply chain occupations are undergoing a major transformation and are proving to be one of the important levers of change in the sector, boosted by a wider range of courses and strong prospects for career opportunities. The need for qualified profiles in the supply chain wordlwide is increasing, making it necessary to create a greater diversity of economic and financial opportunities for women.
As demand and supply chain complexity both increase, the skills gap widens, making the market - 40% filled by women - hyper-competitive. Their representation has improved slightly in recent years, not least because of the growing number of inclusion initiatives in the past few years: last year, 70% of companies within the supply chain set diversity and equity targets in their recruitment and development policies. Feminisation of the workforce is among the key measures.
Building greater gender diversity in supply chains
Making the supply chain more attractive to new generations, especially young women, involves several key steps:
- Increasing the overall attractiveness of the industry
- Improving women's visibility of occupations that have long been dominated by men
- Enhancing the understanding of the sector and the diversity of its professions, sometimes misunderstood and relegated to the transport sector, which is just one aspect of it
- Creating more opportunities for employment and career growth for women
The best supply chain courses for women
Expert in supply chain and logistics issues, and graduate of the programme herself, ISLI director Marie-Laure Furgala has made it her goal to promote supply chain among women. Drawing on her personal experience, she aims to show young people, and especially women, that the supply chain is an excellent field of professional fulfilment allowing for personal and family life to be preserved. Attracting, developing and retaining talents are amongst the pillars of KEDGE Business School's Global Supply Chain Management MSc, with over 4250 alumni pursuing careers in leading corporations worldwide since 1984.
To build a career in this demanding sector, ISLI offers a comprehensive training programme which draws on the expertise of the school's Centre of Excellence in Supply Chain (CESIT). This dedicated Master of Science, full-time and in English on KEDGE Bordeaux campus, addresses a variety of issues related to supply chain management.
Co-created by a number of leading multinational companies to train high-potential multicultural managers, it holds the second highest ranking among supply chain programmes worldwide (Eduniversal 2022).
France Supply Chain is the leading French network of supply chain professionals. Within this organisarion, key players of the industry intend to assert the strategic role of supply chain as a lever for a sustainable world, and to convey a more representative image of these professions. On February 1st, Marie-Laure Furgala was appointed member of the COMEX of France Supply Chain.
A closer look at the Bordeaux campus
The school is located in Talence, 35 minutes from the city centre by tram. The campus is spread over 35,000 m2 and offers the most innovative facilities to meet the needs of students and staff. Now a key player in the technological future, Bordeaux is a fast-growing city and an exciting place to study. Perfectly located 2 hours from Paris with the new high speed rail links, close to Spain and just a half hour from the stunning beaches of Arcachon, Bordeaux has seen a strong growth in highly skilled professionals.
