Paisley organisation is 1st CMI Chartered Manager Assessment Centre in Scotland

The Scotland Excel Academy has become the first CMI Chartered Manager (CMgr) Assessment Centre in Scotland – joining just 42 other centres globally.

The Paisley-based national centre of procurement expertise for local government has partnered with the Chartered Manager Institute (CMI) to gain the CMgr assessment centre accreditation.

The Academy is one of the Scottish procurement community’s key learning and development functions, delivering bespoke work-based learning programmes for procurement professionals.

The new assessment accreditation builds on Scotland Excel becoming a CMI Approved Centre at the end of last year.

Julie Welsh, Director of Scotland Excel said: “It’s fantastic that The Academy has become the country’s first Chartered Management Institute CMgr Assessment Centre, complementing the CMI Approved Centre status secured last year. This is good news for Scotland Excel, for our customers and for the wider public sector procurement community in Scotland because it means we can deliver and assess CMI qualifications and recognise professional practice.

“Procurement knowledge is core to the learning offered through the Academy, and we integrate this with the key business disciplines of leadership and management. This will continue to be the focus of our blended learning approach as we continue to build on the strength of the Academy.

“We have been a CMI Approved Centre since November 2016, meaning we could offer professional management certificates and diplomas. And our new CMgr Assessment Centre accreditation strengthens this because we can now also recognise professional practice at Chartered status.”

Throughout the remainder of 2017 and into 2018, Scotland Excel plans to build on the Academy’s success by rolling out a comprehensive learning and development programme to public sector procurement professionals.

This will include a CMI Leadership and Management programme; a series of masterclasses; regional workshops; a work based learning route to membership of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (MCIPS); and supporting graduate level apprenticeships.

The Academy is an online learning platform which is led by Scotland Excel’s learning and development team to help Scottish councils and the wider public sector with the professional development of procurement staff.