The SPSM Certification
3 comments March 3rd, 2008 David Bush - Iasta
Charles Dominick sent me a copy of his latest benchmark survey results, titled: 2008 Purchasing & Supply Management Career & Skills Report. It is available for download from his site, on this page. One of the interesting quotes in the summary section was:
Employers are increasingly seeking candidates with certifications to fill open purchasing and supply management positions. Purchasing and supply management professionals possessing the SPSM Certification earn an average of $19,220 more per year than those who do not possess the SPSM Certification. As of January 2008, the SPSM Certification has been earned or is being pursued by purchasing and supply management professionals in over 60 countries around the world.
Of course, this makes total sense. The fascinating part about this to me, is from the business perspective. Charles has made a company from a perceived need (like any business). In this case, because he felt the CPM and ISM were outdated and were losing their value. Dominick mentions on his website:
“So in 2004, Next Level Purchasing launched the Senior Professional in Supply Management (SPSM) Certification Program. The SPSM Certification was the first purchasing certification designed to be both a globally recognized certification as well as the most modern certification, as opposed to being created by a “national” association in decades past. It was meant to give employers confidence that they were selecting the true “cream of the crop” when they made their staff selections.”
It is obviously working, as thousands of procurement professionals are choosing an independent certification over (or in conjunction with) a national association certification, which has been around for a long time. Personally, I think there is more of a story to this. What was wrong with the CPM that created a business opportunity? What was the “A-ha” moment? How long did it take before the dam broke and acceptability was easier?
Good questions and we may never know the answers. Unless…maybe Charles himself would care to elaborate with some more detail about how this all came to be? Open invite for a guest post, Charles. I think it is a very interesting story.
Entry Filed under: General, Supply Management Best Practices
