At the Celebrating Enterprise Awards, held in the House of Lords, the Institute of Supply Chain Management (IOSCM) was named IOEE Innovative Partner of the Year. This is an award given to an organisation that has forged a strong, productive and, above all, innovative relationship with SFEDI and the IOEE. Kevin Rumfitt, CEO of IOSCM, has written a personal response to the honour of receiving this award.

“I was delighted to receive this award from the IOEE especially in such an amazing location. Business start-up, enterprise and sustainability are major priorities for every business in every sector. The IOEE does an outstanding job in driving these important pillars of business and industry forward. The award was totally unexpected and it’s amazing now when I consider that word – ‘innovation’ – and the great meaning that it has to a business person. The team of experts at IOSCM really do deserve this award for time and time again defying the odds to deliver outstanding products that are flexible, innovative and high quality - three very difficult things to achieve consistently to deadline and to cost. The flexibility comes from the fact that learners have a vast range of certification options to choose from. These cover Supply Chain Purchasing, Manufacturing, Management, Warehousing, Logistics and Transport, plus Import/Export. It’s up to the students themselves whether they specialise or follow our flexible learning route. The innovation IOSCM offers is born of this flexibility – it means that unlike other study options, with us learners can opt for the training that corresponds to their personality and learning style. We maintain the highest level of quality by inviting SFEDI to assess our services. This ensures that many of the programmes we teach are consistently delivered to Ofqual’s high standards.

Over the past five years particularly, IOSCM has pushed the boundaries of innovation with a policy of inclusiveness for workforce and individual development. The flexible offer that we have provided into the marketplace explains why we have taken the sector by storm, especially this past 24 months, which has seen a huge increase in engagement with a diverse network of organisations and individuals. We have engaged openly with everyone from FTSE 100 and 500 companies collaborating on major projects to students training with us. This is because of the tailored product we supply, which meets both employers’, individuals’ and regulatory bodies’ requirements. These are qualifications that are maintained to make sure they really equip people to perform in the workplace. To achieve this we update our materials on an annual basis. Additionally, if there are significant changes to industry legislation or best practice, we will update our study materials immediately. This means our students always have access to the most up-to-date materials available across the market.

Our qualifications can be tailored to suit individuals who want to follow a traditional, academic study system combined with outstanding flexibility and an amazing support package. Equally, academic students can use research methods and referencing techniques to achieve a qualification. But the thing I am most proud of is being able to take our qualifications to the hardworking workforce at all levels, including to the people who have not had the benefit of a great education but have vast experience and expertise built up in industry. Our experts have developed outstanding systems for these members of the workforce, allowing them to map their past experience and skills onto their current roles to achieve a qualification certification. Our programmes are all regulated by Ofqual and we are providing the full currency of a UK qualification from level 1 to level 6.

Our commitment to quality, innovation and inclusivity is why we have received this award. I believe we provide everyone with a product that they can tailor to suit their own unique needs, their learning style and the pressures they face in life. We deliver to each student a flexible, tailored package of support that allows them to maximise their potential. Our objective is to allow each person to be themselves, and as an individual with all their needs met, allow them to maximise and reach their full potential. It is about providing students with a partnership that gives them confidence. Our dedicated employer liaison experts do the same to meet business needs, providing a service and an expertise to industry that allows businesses to use our qualifications to deliver tangible business benefits. We see ourselves as being here to help individuals and businesses alike to achieve great things.”