Officials from the Port of Los Angeles, California State University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), and Los Angeles Harbor College (LAHC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enhance global logistics curriculum, transfer opportunities, and internships that will better prepare interested students for careers in port operations and logistics.

Under the agreement, CSUDH and LAHC agreed to align global logistics courses at LAHC with undergraduate global logistics courses at CSUDH, which will help boost the number of qualified LAHC students transferring to CSUDH to pursue Business Administration Bachelor of Science degrees with global logistics concentrations. Both institutions will regularly consult with the Port of Los Angeles to assure integration of emerging and relevant logistics topics into curriculum.

“This dynamic partnership will place Cal State Dominguez Hills among the leading universities in the nation at producing global logistics students with the contemporary knowledge and skill sets needed for today’s technology-driven shipping industry and economy,” said CSUDH President Willie J. Hagan. “Our faculty and students greatly anticipate the opportunity to work one-on-one with port professionals, and learn firsthand from their extensive experiences.”

The MOU also calls on the port to designate up to ten CSUDH and five LAHC paid internships annually for students interested in gaining hands-on experience within port departments in global logistics and related fields of study. Port staff will also serve as guest lecturers in classes to provide additional real-world learning opportunities for students.

“To effectively compete in a global maritime industry, we’ll need to continue building a highly trained workforce, matching relevant skills with the evolving needs of the maritime industry,” said Gene Seroka, executive director at the Port of Los Angeles. “Tapping into the expertise and knowledge of our local institutions of higher learning makes perfect sense for helping us build that capacity.”

The agreement is also designed to assist in developing programs which are needed to support the technical and trade jobs that support the maritime industry and port.

The Port of Los Angeles facilitated $270 billion in trade during 2015. Port operations and commerce facilitate more than 133,000 jobs in the City of Los Angeles and 479,000 jobs in the five-county southern California region.