Participating in Professional Organizations

Learning about SCM in a university setting is valuable, but you shouldn't limit your education to the classroom. There's much to be learned from industry experts who apply the strategies, use the technologies, and deal with the challenges that are discussed in your classes. Their daily experiences provide another level of insight and reinforce what you're learning.

So how can you gain access to these experts? The obvious answer: via family, friends, and faculty members who have a few supply chain contacts. Another option is to join professional organizations that open the door to thousands of people who share your interest in SCM . These groups focus on advancing the supply chain profession through sponsored research, training resources, and meetings where members share cutting-edge SCM knowledge.

SCM Professional Organizations

There are a wide variety of professional groups that you can join as a student. Some, such as CSCMP, cover a wide range of supply chain topics. Others, like WERC, focus on a key area of the supply chain. Click the logos for brief descriptions and website addresses of the organizations.

CSCMP: CSCMP’s mission is to lead the evolving supply chain management profession by developing, advancing, and disseminating supply chain knowledge, research, and to its over 9,000 members and to the entire profession.
Website: cscmp.org

WERC: Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) is the only professional organization focused on warehouse management and its role in the supply chain.
Website: www.werc.org

APICS: The Association for Operations Management is the global leader and premier source of the body of knowledge in operations management, including production, inventory, supply chain, materials management, purchasing, and logistics.
Website: www.apics.org

ISM: SM is a not-for-profit association that provides opportunities for the promotion of the profession and the expansion of professional skills and knowledge.
Website: www.ism.ws

ASTL: AST&L's mission is to promote and facilitate education and certification in the fields of transportation, logistics, and supply chain management.
Website: www.astl.org

For a listing of other supply chain professional and trade associations that may be of interest to you, see CSCMP listing of other associations