Institute of Purchasing and Materials Management: Continuing development
The development of a professional culture in procurement and supply management is crucial for continuous industry growth.
The IIPMM has been at the forefront of education and training for over thirty years. Our mission is to develop professional competence through education and training programmes and to promote professionalism and ethics in procurement and supply management. To sum up our mission, we aim to develop procurement and supply as key strategic business activities.
Education and training are the basic building blocks of any profession. The development of people should be a top priority for all organisations. There has to be an identifiable body that is seen as the embodiment of a profession. The strength of any profession is the existence of an overseeing body that represents the profession and its members. People join groups and associations because they identify with the aims and objectives of the group. The IIPMM is the professional body for procurement and supply management in Ireland.
Membership of a professional body makes a statement about the individual and how they wish to be perceived in their careers. When individuals stand up as professionals they, and those they address, know that they have the backing of their professional body and speak from a position of authority. This should not be underestimated or forgotten. We make no apology at IIPMM for pursuing the aim of ensuring that everyone working in procurement is a qualified member of the Institute
What does professionalism mean to organisations? Firstly, educated professionals are certainly worth having in any organisation. Secondly, the quality of the procurement and supply function will improve as education and experience work in concert. Another key benefit is in the area of ethics. Professional standards and ethics go hand in hand. Affiliation to a profession promotes ethical standards and in such an environment it is easier to set and maintain standards.
In summary, education and training feeds a profession but the existence of a profession is not the inevitable consequence of an education programme.
We need to tend to the professional aspect of procurement and supply to ensure that a viable and sustainable profession continues to emerge and grow. But not only that, this emergence needs to be nurtured by both individuals, and organisations by their mutual participation in the procurement profession and the IIPMM.
For more information on the Institute log on to www.iipmm.ie
