Professional Designations Conferred by the American Purchasing Society
Robert Menard,
Certified Purchasing Professional,
Certified Professional Purchasing Consultant, Certified Green Purchasing Professional, Certified Professional Purchasing Manager
The value of professional certifications in purchasing is an unassailable asset. It is the singular best way to demonstrate devotion to the buying profession and thereby to be of greater value to the employer. A more compelling motivation is that those pros who earn certifications earn more money. Are you unsure or perhaps unaware of how certifications impact your career path? Here is a short post on the question of if certification is for you. This post will provide further justification of why you must pursue certification.
So which certifications should you earn?
There are four recognized certifications, each requiring different competencies and skills. These are the Certified Purchasing Professional (CPP), Certified Purchasing Professional Manager (CPPM), Certified Green Purchasing Professional CGPP), and Certified Professional Purchasing Consultant (CPPC). Let’s examine each one.
The Certified Purchasing Professional (CPP) is a fundamental designation that every serious buyer should earn. The object of the online preparation course is to prepare experienced buyers, purchasing agents, and purchasing managers for the CPP examination. This course covers the essentials of the purchasing process, and the organization and management of the purchasing function. Portions of the course will cover aspects of accounting and other business functions that purchasing professionals should know. Separate sections of this course are devoted to ethics, inventory, the law, and mathematics. This full version also includes the study guide, examination, and the self-running required courses Business Ethics for Buyers and Sellers, Math for Purchasing and Business, Managing Inventory – Maintaining the Proper Level, and Essential Law for Buyers and Sellers. The full version is three weeks in length and the examination is taken during the last weekend of the course. The different parts of this course are self-running and online. They can be taken at any time of the day and whenever is convenient to the student. An instructor is available for questions, directions and guidance.
The Certified Purchasing Professional Manager (CPPM) requires the CPP as a pre or co requisite. The object of this online preparation course is to prepare experienced buyers, purchasing agents, and purchasing managers for the Certified Professional Purchasing Manager examination. Knowledge of the content of the course will contribute to success in taking the examination. The course covers various topics that all purchasing managers should know well, including organization structures, business objectives and functions, purpose and duties of management, human resource and the law, diversity, accounting, economics, and many others. This course is three weeks in length and the examination is taken during the last weekend of the course. The different parts of this course are self-running and online. They can be taken at any time of the day and whenever is convenient to the student. An instructor is available for questions, directions and guidance. Although there are additional requirements involved, the completion of this course and successful passing of the examination meets the exam and online course requirements for certification. The instructor sends students an email with initial instructions for the course the weekend before the course is scheduled to begin.
The Certified Green Purchasing Professional (CGPP) meets the demand for sustainability in purchasing. Sustainability is all about preservation and conservation, synonyms for savings, the province of the purchasing profession. This online course includes the work book Green Purchasing and Sustainability , the two-part self-running course titled “Green Purchasing and Sustainability”, and the CGPP examination. The work book is a hard skills manual for “how-to” go green and making money doing it. The course demonstrates how sustainability impacts our professions and how purchasing can take an active role in it. It will give practical and reasonable steps that purchasing can take to not only help its company become “greener” but to also do what purchasing does best, reduce costs.
As more and more executive decisions include sustainability, buyers and purchasing managers need to learn how they can be part of the process before the policies and procedures are set in place. Sustainability is quickly developing and changing, and the sooner purchasing professionals begin to learn about the subject and current things that they can do to encourage and embrace it, the better position they will be in for the long-term future. Students will be taught what purchasing’s role is in sustainability, how to develop a green purchasing plan, how it can be included in facilities practices, how to utilize the 3Rs, energy savings ideas, and more. We recommend that you complete the online course before moving onto the workbook. A coach will be available to help with any questions during the 45 day preparation study period. Watch a one minute video about CGPP.
The Certified Professional Purchasing Consultant (CPPC) designation is for Certified Purchasing Professionals (CPP) who either consults or teaches purchasing to people outside of their own employer. It is a rare and unique designation that requires a broad array of skills and experience. Please contact the Society for more details about the CPPC.