2 August 2016
By Bryan Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Commencing in September 2016, University College Cork will be offering a Certificate in Procurement Management (NFQ level 8 award), the first of its kind to be offered at an Irish university. The Certificate features a cutting-edge syllabus supported by a faculty that includes academics and expert practitioners. The UCC School of Business has proven capabilities in ‘real world’ procurement and its teaching team will bring their knowledge, experience and skills to the programme in a University that has been awarded Sunday Times University of the year for a record breaking fourth time.
Speaking at a gathering of a large number of professionals, representing a wide range of industry sectors, at which the programme was launched, Dr David McKevitt, Academic Director of the Certificate, said, “This programme aims to provide advanced insights into the theory, practices, processes and current thinking in the management of procurement and tendering. Procurement is at the forefront of change in the business world as it has never had a higher status within the boardrooms around the globe for providing competitive advantage as it does now”.
“Applications are welcome from procurement specialists and category managers or professionals in the public and private sectors, in SME’s and in multinational companies. We would be delighted to hear from procurement personnel who need to up-skill, who aspire to become procurement specialists and professionals who have experience of business management and for whom a procurement role is a logical step in their career progression”.
Commenting on the collaboration with UCC Ingrid De Doncker, Managing Director of e-Quiddity and IDD Consult and lecturer in procurement management at UCC said, “There is a critical need and battle for current procurement talent. Companies are looking for a powerful way to improve their team’s procurement skills to impact directly to the bottom line. The value of traditional skill sets and analytical capabilities needs to be augmented with the benefits of an open mind set and a blended intelligence toward building valuable relationships with all parties at the negotiation table. Companies are investing in addressing the critical procurement talent shortage; individuals are focusing on advancing their careers through knowledge enhancement and peer to peer learning. There is no better time to advance the procurement journey.”
The Certificate includes workshops scheduled on Friday afternoons (2-6pm) and Saturday mornings (9-1pm) every fortnight from September to May. These workshops consist of interactive lectures, individual and group activities, best practice processes, practical spreadsheet applications, and oral presentations. All modules are examined by continuous assessment with assignments submitted throughout the course.
