Crescent Purchasing Consortium is delighted to announce its Giving Back programme is funding three places to study the CIPS Syndicated Qualifications Programme L4 Diploma in Procurement & Supply which will begin in March 2025. If your institution is a CPC member, you can apply or nominate a colleague for a bursary to finance this qualification, each place is worth £3,600.
What is the benefit of this qualification?
You will learn about making procurement and supply happen within your organisation. You will be equipped with an essential range of knowledge and tools that you can apply immediately in your workplace. The course will give you the confidence to undertake and develop procurement in your organisation, leading to an increase in procurement compliance and cost savings at your institution. It’s the ideal starting point for those looking to advance a career in procurement and supply, and aim for MCIPS Chartered Status.
Who can apply
If you are interested in pursuing your formal CIPS qualifications and are based at a CPC member institution you can apply. Your institution will need to be an active member of CPC and be procuring goods/services/works through CPC frameworks. Candidates will need to work within a dedicated procurement function and not currently have this formal entry-level qualification. The tuition sessions are Teams-based, so geographic location is not important.
What level of experience will the ideal candidate have?
CIPS advise either:
a minimum of at least two A-levels (or international equivalent)
or a CIPS Level 3 Advanced Certificate in Procurement and Supply Operations
or a minimum of two years’ relevant experience in a business environment (Ideally, in a procurement related function)
What will the successful candidates get?
All course fees, examinations, learning materials and the first two years of CIPS membership will be covered by the bursary. Successful applicants will have access to the CPC’s Learning & Development Lead, Mark Pearson who will act as a mentor and will provide additional support and guidance over the period of study.
What’s the commitment for successful candidates?
CIPS advise that the anticipated investment of time is 250 hours with an additional 15hrs of examination time. CIPS also recommends that you will need to invest a further 335 hours over the 18-month period in wider reading, research and knowledge gain.
What’s the commitment for the institution?
We ask that the sponsor institution enables and encourages the candidate to successfully complete the programme. If the candidate takes longer than the 18-month programme, there may be additional fees which the institution will need to fund. Should the successful candidate withdraw from the programme, the institution would be required to reimburse the cost of the programme, to enable CPC to reinvest that bursary opportunity in a new candidate.
Conditions
The successful candidate and member institution will be included in CPC’s ‘Giving Back’ marketing
The successful candidate and member institution will be required to sign a CPC training contract
How to apply
You can apply to be considered for one of the three bursary opportunities by completing the application form before 17th February 2025.
We recommend that you read the CIPS L4 Diploma syllabus and proposed timetable, plus visit the CIPS Qualifications webpages for further information before starting your application.