Firstly a definition is important to begin with. Within the Supply Chain Management (SCM) philosophy, businesses manage their source materials, information and finances throughout the entirety of the S. C. Once a particular supply chain is established, the various businesses involved in the chain share information with one another in order to synchronize their assets, coordinate their production techniques, and ensure the continued synchronization of supply and demand throughout the chain. SCM traditionally dealt almost exclusively with the maintenance of the flow of actual products within the supply chain, but the emergence of the Internet has placed continually increasing importance on the flow of information throughout the chain as well.
Who are the Supply Chain Management NVQ Levels for?
The types of candidates and their job roles for each level is indicated below:
- Level 2: buying assistant, clerical/buying support.
- Level 3: purchasing/administrative officer, junior manager, supervisor, buyer.
- Level 4: analyst, consultant, head of department, purchasing manager, specialist manager, senior buyer.
- Level 5: chief executive, director, senior manager, and strategic manager.
The Level 3 NVQ.
This NVQ is an effective way to develop purchasing skills across a broad spectrum of activities. It is used, in some instances, by organisations wishing their staff to demonstrate their level of purchasing skills. This can be in conjunction with the internal promotion or remuneration structure. The NVQ 3 will require a broad understanding across the S. C. and will focus on best practice. To cover the supply chain the NVQ also covers materials management and logistics.
To be able to collect the evidence of competency, each candidate must be operating within a purchasing role, which is broad enough to encompass the selected optional units. An essential requirement is the knowledge and understanding associated with the chosen elements and students are expected to demonstrate this at the time of assessment. Students are encouraged to join CIPS as a Student or Associate to support their development and access the CIPS resources.
There are a limited number of NVQ Providers throughout the UK, offering the NVQ Level 3 in S.C.M. These are all approved Edexcel centres and operate under stringent quality control procedures.
