Open Enrollment

Continuing education is important not only for personal career development but also for learning new supply chain strategies and tactics. Here are a just a few examples of upcoming professional education programs around the world.

Tools for change

Cranfield University's School of Management hopes that its "Supply Chain Toolbox" will help executives better understand and combat the political, rational, and emotional barriers to change. Attendees will leave this course equipped with a structured approach for delivering a supply chain improvement project, practical techniques to improve supply chain performance, and an action plan for implementation.

Program: Supply Chain Toolbox
Sponsor: Cranfield University
Location: Bedford, United Kingdom
Dates: October 13?17, 2008
Info: www.cranfield.ac.uk/som/executive

Lean into it

Supply chain managers could benefit from a little lean thinking, according to Penn State University's Center for Supply Chain Research. The Center's "Applying Lean Principles Across the Supply Chain" course introduces a systematic approach to applying lean thinking to supply chain challenges. Co-sponsored by CSCMP, this program will teach participants how to make their supply chains lean and extend lean initiatives to suppliers and customers.

Program: Applying Lean Principles Across the Supply Chain
Sponsor: Penn State University
Location: College Station, Pennsylvania, USA
Dates: October 27?31, 2008
Info: www.smeal.psu.edu/psep/lsc.html

Managing the Extended Supply Chain

This course offered by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management and the IMD business school focuses on how the supply chain can operate as a fluid network of companies orchestrating collaborations, services, and linkages in order to optimize value to the customer. It will also examine how to make this model work by creating smarter interfaces; developing mutually beneficial relationships with customers and suppliers; recognizing opportunities for aftermarket services; and managing internal change.

Program: Managing the Extended Supply Chain: Beyond Productivity and Efficiency
Sponsors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology and IMD Business School
Dates:November 9?14, 2008
Location: Lausanne, Switzerland
Info: http://mitsloan.mit.edu/execed

Problem solved

"Lean Six Sigma Logistics for Supply Chain Management," co-sponsored by CSCMP and St. Louis University and conducted by LeanCor, will teach participants how to use lean and Six Sigma management concepts to solve supply chain problems. The class takes concepts such as waste elimination, error proofing, and value-stream mapping and applies them to distribution strategies and supply chain visibility. Participants will also develop an improvement project plan that they can implement.

Program: Lean Six Sigma Logistics for Supply Chain Management
Sponsors: LeanCor, CSCMP, St. Louis University
Dates:December 2?4, 2008
Location: Orlando, Florida, USA
Info: www.leancor.com