Canada's National Accreditation Program for Supply Chain Educational Programs and Courses

National Accreditation Program for Supply Chain Educational Programs and Courses: Recognition of Programming that Meets Industry-established Standard

August 5, 2009, Mississauga, Ontario – The Canadian Supply Chain Sector Council (the CSCSC) has created a National Accreditation Program to recognize those educational offerings in supply chain management, voluntarily submitted, that meet the standard established by the Council, with the assistance of the Canadian Standards Association and significant input from supply chain stakeholders. Post-secondary institutions, associations and private training schools are eligible to submit their programs and courses for review.

The final report of the 2005 Strategic Human Resources Study of the Supply Chain Sector notes that,

“…while there appears to be no shortage of sources of skill, education and professional-development opportunities, they are fragmented and not optimally aligned. There is agreement that there are a myriad to choose from, with no clarity as to the criteria to consider in selecting the most appropriate combination of formal education and professional development or certification.”

It was with this in mind that the CSCSC established a process to accredit supply chain programs and courses. Through its National Accreditation Program, the Council expects to both identify those educational offerings that meet a specified standard and improve the overall supply chain-education market.

The National Accreditation Program standard reflects industry’s needs and educators’ best practices. This recognition will give those making education decisions – whether they’re students, guidance counsellors or employers – a means to identify high-quality programs with relevant course content. While accredited programs may not be superior to others that are not accredited, they are proven. Over time, the Council anticipates that the advantage this will give institutions with accredited programs will grow in importance, furnishing them with a competitive advantage for enrolment.

Programs that are accredited will be identified as such in the CSCSC’s online supply chain education compendium.

Submission of courses or programs for CSCSC accreditation is voluntary. Providers may apply for accreditation using an online self assessment, which is submitted to the CSCSC electronically. Applications are reviewed by the CSCSC’s Accreditation Review Panel, which will meet four times a year to review submissions received in the preceding three months.

Fees for review through the National Accreditation Program are $100 per course or $750 per program. These fees will be waived for those institutions and organizations that participate in the first round of accreditation, for which submissions are required by August 31, 2009. Institutions whose programs or courses do not achieve accreditation will be provided guidance on areas for improvement and encouraged to resubmit information once areas for improvement have been addressed. Resubmissions are made at no additional cost to the provider.

The Canadian Supply Chain Sector Council
The Canadian Supply Chain Sector Council is an all-stakeholder, not-for-profit organization responsible for the human resources strategy for the supply chain sector in Canada. The CSCSC is funded by the Government of Canada’s Sector Council Program.

For further information, please contact:
Beverly Myers
Program Manager
Canadian Supply Chain Sector Council
Phone: 905-897-6700
Email: bmyers@supplychaincanada.org