How do we attract the brightest and the best into procurement and supply chain roles?
In these days where the “war for talent” is a real issue, that is a big question for any leading procurement function or leader. It is also relevant for CIPS and other professional bodies, and was the agenda item for a virtual meeting of CIPS Fellows the other day. Discussion included how to be successful at careers fairs, how to inform teachers and parents about procurement as well as getting to young people themselves, and the best way to communicate just how interesting these professions and jobs within them can be.
And there is no doubt that the procurement with purpose agenda gives us a major opportunity to appeal to those starting out in their careers. In the interviews we have conducted for this website with major firms – Unilever, Vodafone, Heineken and so on - this has been a common theme. As the organisation has built its reputation for procurement that considers these wider issues, so it has attracted more of the top-class new graduates and entrants to the jobs market. Several CPOs have told us that it is the number one topic that the interviewees want to ask about when it comes to questions back to the prospective employer.
On a personal note, I am going to lead a session with teenagers at the school for which I am a governor in the autumn term. A local environmental issue – a fuel oil pipeline that requires some mature trees to be cut down – has sparked considerable interest amongst the pupils, and has “radicalised” their views to some extent.
So I want to explain how complex some of these issues are, but also suggest that if the pupils really care about the environment, working for a large energy firm, a major automotive manufacturer, or a top consumer goods business, might be much more productive than joining Extinction Rebellion!
Think how much good you can achieve in procurement, working for BP, Toyota or Mars. That’s not just in terms of the environment of course. It might be promoting more diversity in the supply chain, helping minority owned start-ups get going, coming up with “circularity” solutions to avoid waste or pollution… the options are almost endless. And these opportunities will be more enticing to many young people I’d suggest rather than simply talking about the enjoyment to be gained from running tendering exercises and negotiating contracts.
There are of course other genuine attractions of a career in procurement. The opportunity to travel, meet people inside and outside our organisations, real responsibility at an early stage in your career, the constant challenges of changing markets, requirements and suppliers, the chance to apply your core skills to all sorts of different organisations … these are all positives we can and should emphasise. But procurement with purpose brings another dimension, and we need to be shouting about it as we compete for talent with other professions.
And I’ll report back here after my session with the young people!