Certified Logistics Professional (CLP)

Certified Logistics Professional (CLP)

Our practical curriculum emphasizes the nature and essence of Supply Chain Management- SCM, enabling students to develop strong, valuable, professional skills. The program emphasizes a global approach to SCM, and facilitates the global perspective through affiliations with companies and organizations.

Traditional supply chain programs have grown out of Operations Management, Purchasing and Logistics. The easiest way to construct a Supply Chain Management curriculum has been to select from the menu of courses offered in those separate fields and hope that the integrated SCM perspective somehow comes across.
Unfortunately, many students only end up with an understanding of the pieces rather than the integrated nature of the supply chain.

The CLP offers:
• Integrated SCM curriculum – not just logistics or procurement
• Contact with national and international SCRC member company professionals
• Real company projects solving real industry problems as part of the coursework
• Consistently high placement of CLP professionals

Integrated SCM Perspective
This concentration focuses on the study of business relationships between a company, its suppliers and its customers. Students develop in-depth knowledge of the entire flow of the end-to-end supply chain, from raw materials to finished products. A special emphasis is placed on information and supply flow throughout the process.

Although more universities and institutes are offering degrees and certifications in SCM, many programs have been built on traditional procurement, operations or logistics foundations. In  CLP certification, we provide an education in the integration-oriented skills required of successful SCM graduates in a global community.
The industry demand is for Logistics professional who can integrate and optimize all the steps required to produce the right amount of the right product or service and deliver it to the end user at the right time. The supply manager’s role is interdisciplinary – a role that spans logistics and distribution, purchasing, manufacturing, inventory management, and even marketing and product development, and draws skills from many other academic backgrounds.

Not just a Purchasing certification
The purchasing component of this integrated SCM concentration develops major themes and strategies of Supply Chain Management relationships. The focus is on performance measurement, relationship assessment, negotiation, contracting, and managing conflict in business relationships in a globally integrated supply chain. In this context, relationships may exist between internal functional groups, as well as with suppliers and/or customers. The focus of the course is on collaboration and strategy execution. Emphasis is on for assessing, establishing metrics/expectations, contracting, and managing external business relationships in sourcing, logistics and operations. However, many of the concepts will be explored primarily from the perspective of the purchasing/sourcing perspective, and less emphasis will be placed on the marketing/sales perspective.

Not just a Logistics certification
The logistics component utilizes a variety of tools and frameworks are presented in order to help students understand the basis behind effective logistics decision-making and how it relates to broader issues in managing the entire supply chain and fulfilling the strategic objectives of a firm. The course material is drawn from a number of sources, including a recently published textbook, recent articles from the popular business press, and articles from academic journals

Industry/University Partnership
The program is supported by a unique industry/university partnership representing supply chains from a broad spectrum of industries. It serves the member companies by bringing applied research and knowledge creation to help them achieve supply chain excellence. These projects cover a wide range of SC activities and are designed as an integral aspect of all required SCM courses, enabling practical application of learned skills.

Curriculum
Courses in the CLM Certifications stress the integrated nature of SCM and still ensure that sufficient skills are developed in the specific topic areas covered in more traditional programs.

Traditional supply chain programs at many universities and institutions have grown out of Operations Management, Purchasing and Logistics. The easiest way to construct a supply chain curriculum was to select from the menu of courses offered in those fields, and hope that the integrated SCM perspective somehow happened. Unfortunately, many students only end up with an understanding of the pieces, not of the whole nature of the supply chain. Subsequently, the power of SCM is often lost.

At CLP program faculty work on ways to structure the supply chain curriculum to emphasize the nature and essence of SCM while developing successful professional skills in the students. The AIPLM uniquely and successfully brings industry into the program, enlisting faculty and students for researching solutions to the real industry problems of corporate professionals. The four required SCM courses consist of a combination of classroom instruction and student/company projects.

What is the salary outlook in SCM?
Excellent employment prospects, a fast-paced, fulfilling work environment, and the opportunity for career growth all sound great, but you’re still thinking “show me the money!” Starting SCM salaries for 2007 average $45,771 according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. And that’s just the beginning! As your experience and responsibilities grow, you can expect to earn an average of $89,300 as a Supply Chain Manager, according to the 2007 Mercer Benchmark Database for Logistics and Supply Chain Positions.

CERTIFYING EXAMINATION
To be certified as CLP, students should take up a 1.5 hours online examination. Each exam would consist of 50 multiple choice questions.