11/08/2017

15/09/2017

The Certificate in Procurement Management is the first university accredited NFQ level 8 award in procurement studies in Ireland. The programme is designed to maximise organisational impact and personal effectiveness of participants who either hold the role of or aspire to be buyers, procurement specialists or category managers within SMEs and multinational companies operating in the manufacturing, biopharmachem and medical technology sectors.

Delivered by a blend of academic experts and highly experienced practitioners in the field of procurement, the Certificate aims to equip participants with cutting-edge skills and processes directly applicable to the workplace. This unique course is designed to up-skill participants in technical, managerial and people skills, what is known as the "holy trinity" of procurement competence.

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate advanced analytical and problem solving skills associated with effective procurement practice.
2. Apply and critique practical tools, techniques and conceptual models in order to maximise the value of the procurement process.
3. Communicate and work effectively in groups.
4. Contribute to organisational strategy by designing, implementing and monitoring a strategic procurement plan that reflect the needs of the organisation and stakeholders.
5. Demonstrate an awareness of new knowledge and skills acquired on the programme.
6. Understand the procurement competencies and training and development requirements for career improvement.

Candidates must hold a level 7 undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline or equivalent professional qualification AND have a minimum of two years' buying, sourcing or comparable professional experience.

Non-graduates with at least three years' professional experience in a relevant senior management role will also be considered for admission.

English language requirement: all applicants whose first language is not English, must have attained an average of IELTS Level 6 across all elements of the test, with no element lower than 5.5 or the equivalent TOEFL score.

Candidates must also have working knowledge of word processing and spreadsheet applications.

The programme team may seek to interview applicants in order to ascertain the appropriateness of their experience for this programme.

The Certificate in Procurement Management commences with a holistic competency assessment, benchmarked against a role-based procurement framework. This measurement of training and development needs analysis will be repeated at the end of the programme for comparative progression analysis. The programme itself consists of five core modules all of which offer a blend of theoretical and applied procurement. Where appropriate, the modules also equip participants with practical software-oriented skills. All five modules are examined exclusively by continuous assessment and include workplace learning portfolios, presentations and reports which strengthen workplace application and applied learning. Springboard+ participants who are not currently employed will be assisted in sourcing access to organisations where they can conduct work-based research and gain practical experience of addressing procurement issues.

Students complete 30 credits as follows:
• Principles of Procurement and Tendering (5 Credits)
• Spend Analysis and Category Management (5 Credits)
• Contract and Supplier Relationship Management (5 Credits)
• KPI Reporting and Procurement Value Dashboards (5 Credits)
• Strategic Procurement Project (10 Credits)

The EGFSN report on the ‘Future Skills Needs of the Biopharma Industry in Ireland’ (2016) highlighted procurement as one of the key supply chain management skills needed for the biologics manufacturing sector at NFQ level 7+. Procurement skills were also listed under the current and future skills needs for the engineering sector outlined in both the 2015 and 2016 EGFSN reports on ‘Guidance for Higher Education Providers on Current and Future Skills Needs of Enterprise.’ The EGFSN's 2016 National Skills Bulletin also stated that 'there is evidence that demand for specific administrative skills is increasing, particularly for procurement agents/officers (especially indirect procurement).'

This course will assist students in meeting these skills gaps as it will provide students with the opportunity to firstly assess themselves and then examine, apply and critique the main elements of effective procurement and tendering management that are the focus of the programme. It will teach students how to undertake a systematic analysis of organisation expenditure and conduct in-depth market research of suppliers, products and markets. The programme will also examine a systematic framework of contractual value for money (VfM) negotiations and monitor compliance with VfM criteria. It will present the principles of procurement value reporting and outline different procurement key performance indicators (KPIs) that deliver value for the organisation and its stakeholders. Finally, the capstone module will require students to integrate, consolidate and leverage their learning to date into a Strategic Procurement Plan. Upon completion of this programme, students will have gained sufficient experience and exposure to practical procurement management skills that they will be well placed to take up positions as buyers, procurement specialists or category managers.

In addition, a dedicated UCC EMPLOYABILITY AND WORK PLACEMENT COACH will work with students on this programme and provide a tiered approach to supporting the participants with the development of their job readiness and their transition into employment. The activities of the Coach will be structured to meet the differing needs of the 4 categories of eligible applicants for the 2017 Springboard+ call: those unemployed; those previously self-employed; homemakers; and those in employment in designated sectors. Main activities will include:

1. ONE TO ONE CAREER COACHING to formulate Individual CAREER ACTION PLANS leading to employment: Individual career coaching will be provided for each participant to reflect on:
* Where they are now in their careers;
* Where they want to be;
* Strategies for gaining employment on completion of their springboard course.
These individual coaching sessions will be customised to the needs of the student within the four categories of Springboard+ 2017 applicants.

2. JOB READINESS WORKSHOPS to compliment individual coaching sessions will be built into the programme as outlined below:
* Positioning oneself for job readiness (4 workshops): Setting realistic career objectives; Understanding strengths and skills; Learning from successful role models; Developing a career management strategy.
* Moving forward into a job (4 workshops): Taking action by developing career goals and implementing them;
* Creative job-hunting both on-line and off-line; Written applications, CVs and interview preparation and Implementing career plans.
* Small Group Workplace skills training will also be delivered to help individuals with barriers to employment to gain confidence, develop the people skills and the insights needed to transition to the world of work.

3. Participants will be given the opportunity to MEET EMPLOYERS by
* Attending UCC organised recruitment fairs, jobs roadshows and other events where employers will be invited on campus to meet students;
*Attending employer-led events on building workplace competencies. Springboard 2016 students attended talks delivered by Voxpro, Biomarin, Cork Local Enterprise Office, among others.
*Meet with employers for informational interviews.

Workshops will be scheduled on Friday evenings (2-6pm) and Saturday mornings (9-1pm) every fortnight from mid-September 2017 to mid May 2018.

This programme will be delivered on UCC's main campus.

Lorna Moloney

Adult Continuing Education, Western Road, University College Cork.

021 4904700

l.moloney@ucc.ie

RPL may be used by Springboard participants applying to this course to gain admission to the programme where an applicant many not otherwise reach the standard educational qualification entry requirements.

Apply online at www.springboardcourses.ie. Candidates are advised to apply early as high demand is anticipated and places are limited.

Applications will NOT be assessed until all supporting documentation has been received. Please ensure that you have the following documentation available at the time of application:

* Copies of transcripts and parchments for any previous relevant educational qualifications

* Current CV

* References where applicable

* Copy of IELTS/TOEFL certificate for non-native English speakers