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Professional designations required?
The old adage of learning something new every day is certainly one that lends itself well to the logistics marketplace. In such a diverse and turbulent industry, where significant change seems to be the only constant, many professional logistics managers find continued education is not simply an option, but a true necessity. Given that shifting attitude, many of the country's leading associations have been doggedly working to entrench the notion of a professional designation in logistics management. Similar to other professions, like engineering with their P.Eng designation, a professional logistics certification adds not only letters to one's e-mail signature and stationary, but credibility and some certifiable bona fides as well; or at least that is the hope. What follows here then, is a look at some of Canada's most prominent professional logistics designations, along with an examination of the advantages graduates and alumni have experienced in their educational endeavors.
What's available?
A simple look at some major association Web sites, or even the ubiquitous Google search will effectively lead you to the major Canadian offerings. For the purposes of this article, we spoke with three leading providers of logistics training, which represent the top tier of available programming. Those were: The Canadian Institute of Traffic and Transportation, who offer a specialized CITT designation; Purchasing Management Association of Canada (PMAC), with their CPP designation, and the Professional Logistics Institute who offer a P. Log certification. While all three of these groups lay claim in one form or another to being 'the most recognized or 'the most comprehensive', simply by virtue of their being in relative competition for tuition dollars, suffice to say that all three of these programs are reputable, recognized and sought after. What can sway potential students to one over the other are simply, dare we say, logistical issues, such as availability, location or niche course needs. In the end however, it was Robert Dye, president of PMAC that was most succinct in his recommendations: "You have to read past that opening shot," he says, referring to the...