Dear All,

I am delighted to have stumbled on this site today. I share the same interest in a career in purchasing and SCM and have been equally sourcing for relevant information to enable me launch my career in SCM. I am a graduate of Business Administration and equally hold an MBA in Marketing, both degrees from the same Nigerian university. I do not have a core SCM work experience but a high percentage of my fifteen years B2B sales experience involves sub-contracting/purchasing, tendering, logistics, contract management  and project coordination - which are all core aspects of SCM. As a result, I now desire to branch off from core sales career to SCM, which I agree is still developing in Nigeria and will blossom in few years time.

I desire to proceed abroad for a PGD or MSc degree in Purchasing/Logistics/SCM where I can afford it or take the CIPS professional examination from here (Nigeria). Let me share the little information I have gathered which can help others. I also want to have the contact information of the Nigerian representative of CIPS.

For a very comprehensive career information in SCM (Purchasing & Supply Management and Logistics and Transport Management) check out the Careers Guide in www.insidecareers.co.uk.

Apart from CIPS certification, I came across the certification known as Senior Professional in Supply Management (SPSM) given by Next Level Purchasing (NLP), USA (www.nextlevelpurchasing.com). This is an online study and seems very convenient but I do not know how widely acceptable and globally recognized this certificate is. Also, there are lots of articles on Purchasing available on the site. Please somebody in the USA should kindly assist to provide more information on this certificate, especially job-wise internationally.

In addition, there is an online free "Supply & Demand Chain Executive" magazine which provides SCM articles, news and other information mainly from the USA (www.sdcexec.com).

From my search for top SCM universities in Europe, I have shortlisted these four as the top SCM schools, with some giving full automatic MCIPS certificate upon graduation: Cranfield University, Heriot-Watt University, University of Strathclyde (all in the UK) and Bordeaux Business School (France). I am also checking to get the top SCM schools in the USA.

I do hope these information will be helpful to others like me seeking to pursue a career or information on Purchasing and SCM. Please, I need the contact information of CIPS representative or Study Centre in Nigeria.

Best regards,
NN