Within the framework of the Erasmus + program sponsored by the European Commission, six universities and business schools from the Middle East and Europe were selected to set up the GLOB-SM program in Jordan and Lebanon. The objective of this program is to develop an online master's degree in global supply chain management for the southern Mediterranean with a focus on food supply chain, maritime and humanitarian logistics. The launch of this program is scheduled in the coming academic year.
In Lebanon, the coordinator of the project, the American University of Beirut led by FAFS and MSFEA, is accompanied by Saint Joseph University. In Jordan, the partners are: Princess Sumaya University of Technology and Talal Abu-Ghazaleh University College for Innovation. In Europe, Kedge Business School and Antwerp University, two institutions recognized for their expertise in terms of training and research in the field of international trade, with a particular focus on the maritime industry and air freight management, are playing an active role in the creation of this master's degree.
Between January 17th and 20th, 2022, Elisabeth Jouannaux from the Kedge Business School, Wouter Dewulf and Roel Gevaers from Antwerp University, Maya Nabhani from FAFS and Bacel Maddah from MSFEA organized an academic seminar to build this training program. Initially planned as a face-to-face seminar on the Kedge Marseilles campus, the seminar was held online due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these exceptional conditions, this week of learning was a time for sharing academic best practices among all participants.
After a brief introduction of all the partners and their contributions to the program, the construction and harmonization of the syllabi of the program was highlighted. The seminar emphasized the importance of the interconnection between the academic and professional worlds in setting up a training program. Some professional partners who regularly intervene in the M.Sc. of International Trade and Logistics at Kedge explained their contribution to the master in terms of employability, coaching, and teaching based on professional cases. The next steps of the Erasmus + program will take place in April 2022 with the organization of a training week dedicated to the administrative aspects of setting up such a training program.
