For Immediate Release
April 11, 2008

UCR Extension creates program designed to help workers affected by massive layoffs

RIVERSIDE, CALIF. – UCR Extension has a long history of responding to the needs of its surrounding community. When Abbott Laboratories laid off 700 workers in Temecula and Perris-based RV maker National RV Holdings laid off 600 workers last year, UCR Extension designed an intensive retraining program in supply chain management for people in quick need of a new job. "The logistics and supply chain management industries in Riverside and San Bernardino counties are an important part of the local economy," said Eric Blum, director of the Business, Engineering and Technology department at UCR Extension. "The need for professionals in the logistics industry continues to provide career opportunities for displaced workers in the Inland Valley region."

UCR Extension is offering a 3-part summer intensive retraining program designed to help the displaced worker get a foot in the door of the burgeoning logistics industry in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The first class, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, will meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., June 16 to June 30 at UCR Extension Center, 1200 University Ave. This course surveys current practices in logistics management, including purchasing, transportation, warehousing and inventory control.

The second part of the intensive, Inventory Management, will meet from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, June 17 through July 8 at UCR Extension Center, 1200 University Ave. This course provides a comprehensive study of inventory control and warehousing as key functions within the supply chain.

The third class, Transportation and Traffic Management, will meet from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. July 15 to August 14, 2008. All classes are $495 each. Potential students are advised to check with a local Workforce Development Center to see if funds are available to offset the expense of the course.

Call Kathy Craig at (951) 827-1600 for information about this intensive retraining program, e-mail bet@ucx.ucr.edu or visit www.extension.ucr.edu.

To receive a free UCR Extension catalog, call (951) 827-3806. To register online or browse current courses, visit www.extension.ucr.edu. To register by phone, call (951) 827-4105 or dial toll-free at (800) 442-4990.

UCR Extension is the continuing education division of the University of California, Riverside. Extension offers more than 3,800 courses and 90 certificate programs in a variety of academic programs, including agriculture and landscape, arts and humanities, business and management, education, teacher’s credentialing, English, environmental management, forensic investigations and public safety, geospatial analysis and technology, health services and behavioral sciences, information technology, languages, law and public policy, Native American studies, natural sciences and yoga.