Professional Development

Mission

The Professional Development committee provides highly effective training for our members and their organizations, with specific focus on best practice sharing, leadership development, and supply chain practice certification.

Our mission is accomplished by:

• Coordinating quality General Meeting presentations by leading supply chain professions
• Delivering best in class ISM certification programs
• Arranging relevant and timely supply chain skills development classes
• Maintaining a strong Centers of Excellence Team

General Meeting Presentation Coordination

A significant portion of ISM-Houston’s professional development program is delivered through our General Meeting Programs. We have nine Dinner Presentations a year, scheduled the second Tuesday of each month with the exception of July, August and December. This monthly dinner is designed for networking among Houston’s supply chain professionals and training in key supply chain areas.

CPSM Certification Training

Our certification training program includes extended classes focused on giving members a leg up on their CPSM certification efforts. We have separated this training into three components focused on the contents of each of the three certification examinations. These classes occur in the order of the exams over a six month period to allow students time to complete each exam before moving on to the next training course. We are committed to giving our membership the opportunity to complete your studies and exams over as short a time frame as possible.

Strategic Supply Chain Skills Development

In addition to our General Meeting Programs and our certification efforts, we offer a significant number classes that are focused on honing higher level strategic skills. The annual curriculum for these classes is set based on feedback from our Executive Advisory Board and surveys of our members related to their current development needs. See our Professional Development Program Priorities page for more information on how this year’s program was finalized.

ISM-Houston Centers of Excellence

ISM-Houston maintains a team of individuals whose purpose is to establish groups whose members have a clear focus on a particular subject area within supply management and provide leadership, best practices, research, support, and training to interested ISM members. These group members are dedicated to the principle of achieving higher levels of excellence and performance in the specified focus area. Centers of Excellence team members are committed to being available to work within their group and with other ISM members to provide and share ideas, give feedback, and mentor as appropriate. The team also volunteers to facilitate group discussion in order to develop others to achieve higher levels of maturity, expertise and skills regarding the specified subject matter.

Guided Learning

Convenient. Cost-Effective. Learning

Can’t attend a seminar for training? Don’t let travel costs or a crowded schedule derail your educational development.

Guided Learning courses free you to study anywhere you have an internet connection while only requiring you to participate roughly 60-minutes a day Monday through Friday for three to five weeks.

You get benefits similar to in-person training by participating in a weekly instructor-led webinar and by interacting with your peers through forum postings. It’s a great way to build your knowledge base while reducing cost.