From the course: Supply Chain and Operations Careers: Certification Tips and Tricks (2019)

APICS and ASCM credentials

From the course: Supply Chain and Operations Careers: Certification Tips and Tricks (2019)

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APICS and ASCM credentials

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- APICS certifications are some of the most widely recognized supply chain credentials. Worldwide, they've certified more than 100,000 people. To start, let me explain a little bit about APICS history. APICS started out in the early days of material requirements planning. Literally, they were teaching people the math and the logic that was being programmed into the early computer programs for running factories. It was simply a group of manufacturing professionals and professors who were focused on making factories more efficient. Back then, they were called the American Production and Inventory Control Society, or APICS for short. They've evolved, and they've changed their name to the Association for Supply Chain Management, or ASCM. But since name changes take time, many people still know them as APICS. Their first certification was the CPIM, Certified in Production and Inventory Management. You can earn the CPIM by passing two exams, each one is three and a half hours long and they cover topics like inventory management, production planning and forecasting. Next came the CSCP, Certified Supply Chain Professional. This certification only has one exam but it covers a broader range of material including supply chain network design, and supply chain processes. And their newest certification is CLTD, Certified in Logistics, Transportation and Distribution. This also has one test and it's focused on logistics technologies and processes. With any one of these certifications you can apply to become an ASCM fellow. In order to become a fellow you need to share your expertise with others through teaching or writing. The fellows earn the right to add a dash F to their title, like CPIM-F. Now there are two ways to prepare for a ASCM exams. One way is to go to their website and buy the study materials, what they call a learning system. You'll get study guides to read along with online tools like sample quizzes so you can study on your own. The other option is to take a class, you can find courses at universities, private training companies, and the local chapters of ASCM. Some courses are conducted in person and some are online. ASCM also has two other credentials that are a little different from the certifications. The first one is the SCOR-P which you receive by completing about three days of training on the Supply Chain Operations Reference model. The SCOR model is a process framework that can help you measure the performance of your supply chain and benchmark against other companies. And the second is a Supply Chain Risk Management certificate, which you get by completing 12 hours of risk management training. You can pick up credits toward the risk management certificate by attending specific sessions during the ASCM annual conference. In addition to the conference and the credentials, you can also get involved with ASCM by joining a local chapter, and by participating in online communities like their LinkedIn groups. You can find out more about the credentials and other resources at ascm.org. Getting a certification from APICS, I mean ASCM, is a great way to validate your supply chain knowledge and being part of their community can lead to lots of exciting professional opportunities all around the world.

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