New dates for summer online courses

Somehow these online courses seem to be more fluid than face to face courses - partly because we don't have to book a venue.  And partly because we are all still working it all out.

Anyway, new dates for online courses;

EuroMaTech - Restarting your International Supply Chains - 22/23 July 2020

EuroMaTech - Advanced Purchasing Management - 26/27 July 2020

Both courses to be run on Dubai time.  Details on www.euromatech.com

EuroMaTech webinar Crisis Managment 14th June 2020 - 9:30UK

I shall be one of the hosts for an online webinar from my colleagues EuroMaTech in Dubai.

This free of charge event gives an opportunity to think about the challenges and opportunities created by the current pandemic, and to see in action some of the trainers you might meet on our courses.  Details here.

I shall of course be talking about Supply Chains and the crisis.

You might note that this is due to be running at the same time as I was due to be running Restarting International Supply Chains.  Well, I am afraid that in this time we are having to be flexible and we have decided to reschedule that course.  (This is why I say I have the easier job in training - I just have to write and present.  I don't have to do all the admin) I'll let you know the new date asap.

Webinar - Advanced Purchasing and Covid-19 27 May 2020

I am running a webinar for EuroMaTech on Wednesday 27th May 2020, at 9:30am UK (12:30 Dubai).  Details are here.  This is a brief taster for two courses we are running in June - Restarting your Supply Chain, and Advanced Purchasing Management.  I have re-worked some of the sample content so that it works as a standalone (I hope).

I may be biased but having tried the webinar software today, I like it.  Same sort of flexibility as Adobe Connect, but much simpler to use.

Hope you can join us.

Advanced Purchasing Management - EuroMaTech online 18/19 May 2020

We have scheduled one of our most popular courses for the EuroMaTech group as an on-line programme on 18/19 May 2020.  This has been running and been continually adapted for a decade.

The face to face programme is 5 days of content, and obviously we are having to trim a few bits of content and move fast to get it done in 2 days.  But on the positive side, it is available wherever you are, and we will cover most of the material - but not with many exercises or breakout sessions which I know are appreciated by delegates.  As indeed are our excellent training facilities around the world.  But at least you will be able to guarantee your favourite beverages and snacks if you are providing them yourself.  And it is cheaper.

The course will run from 8:30 am Dubai time (5:30am UK time).  I'm getting up early, so I hope that you will join us.

Full details and booking form are here.

Course: Effective Purchasing, Tendering and Supplier Selection, 18-22 December 2016, Dubai

Last course of 2016 for me is in Dubai, and I hope that we shall give a good send off to what has been a rather dramatic year (to say the least).  I rather hope that 2017 will be less dramatic.  Let's be optimistic about it, anyway.

This might be my last Dubai course for some time (we are still looking at 2017 dates) so I hope that I shall see you there.
The course title rather says it all, but there is a full description and book form here.

After that is Christmas in the UK, and then 2017.  Bring it on.  Hope you have a good one.

Course: Tendering Procurement and Negotiation skills, Dubai 4-8 December 2016

I am currently in damp old London Town, but in a couple of weeks I shall be off to Dubai to run Tendering, Procurement and Negotiation skills.

We have run this a couple of times already this year and the reception has been good - well I know I would say that but it has.

It is a bit of a "Ronseal" course - it does what it says on the tin.

Dubai is great in December - particularly the shopping.  Even if the exchange rate has not been in favour of sterling recently.  Hopefully the course content will help get over the shock.  Hope to see you there.

The price of oil - a case for investing in training

This week I am due to be in Dubai presenting courses on Procurement and Supply Chain Management.  Instead I am at home writing material for the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, which in some ways suits as it is nice to have a few days in a row to write rather than clutching hours here and there.

So far this year we have cancelled 5 weeks worth of courses in or for the Middle east, which is not surprisingly dominated by the oil and gas industry.  The dramatic fall in the price of oil (currently about $41/barrel down from over $100) has meant a massive cut in spending on training across the ME and in particular the oil and gas sector.

Now I have a vested interest in this because I work as a trainer, but I think we should make the case that training in procurement and supply (above other things) should be protected because it should pay for itself.

The usual argument is that when there is a financial shock it is sensible to cut back on discretionary spend - don't spend money unless you have to.  And I don't argue with that. 

However Procurement in the oil and gas industries in recent years has been focussed on Quality, delivery, availability, effectiveness and other non-price issues.  The high price of oil, and the relatively high margins it gave, meant that Price was not the dominant issue.  Now we are in a different environment.

Now Safety and Quality are things that cannot be comprised in process industries, but we can pivot to put far greater emphasis on price and cost rather than issues such as flexibility or efficiency.  That does require a change within the organisation, and a change in emphasis for the Procurement team and Suppliers.

In some situations that may mean a focus on partnership and joint cost reduction.  In others it may moving to a much more adversarial relationship than before.  The trick is in deciding where and when.

Which is where training comes in.  Training is not just about learning new things.  It is also where we can go back to basics and build up again in a new pattern.  It is where we can challenge established ideas and established ways of thinking.  It is where we can learn from others and test new concepts in a risk free (or low risk) environment.  In good training it is where we can plan how we are going to deliver in this new world.

In short a Procurement and Supply Chain training course could, and perhaps should, allow delegates to come away to save ten or more times the cost of the training.  At the least delegates should come away with some plans to save the cost of the event within a tight timescale (perhaps 3 months).  Those savings will then repeat over coming months adding multiples to the overall cost reduction.

The Return on Investment on Procurement training is high anyway, but when you need to save a lot of money in a hurry it is even better.  Particularly if it allows you to avoid making "savings" that will in the end cost more through lost production.

OK, you can say that I am self-serving in making this argument, but I think it makes sense.  In a losing football team you need to stop conceding goals.  You don't do that by getting rid of the Goalkeeper.

Professional Purchasing Skills April 2015

I shall be running Professional Purchasing Skills in Dubai 19th to 23rd April 2015.  Details are linked to the title.  Always an interesting event - hope to see you there.