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Time efficient and cost effective procurement and supply and leadership and management training delivered at our development centre in Welwyn Garden and to companies across Herts and North London.

CENTRAL BUSINESS SCHOOL WELWYN GARDEN CITYThe client handbook

2015

W: centraleducwelwyngardencity.com T: + 44 (0) 1707 527 062 E: abbyj@centraleduc.com

Central Business School

2 Central Business School

CONTENTS

03 Message from the Programme director

04 Who’s who at Central Business School

05 CIPS course programmes

06 Teaching timetable

07 Teaching , learning and assessment

08 Centre /Leaner Contract

09 Learner Support

10 CIPS information

11 Next steps

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A MESSAGE FROM THE PROGRAMME DIRECTOR

Dear CIPS candidate,

Welcome to Central Business School! I do wish you every success with your studies and trust that you will find your investment in the course you are studying with us rewarding both financially and in terms of fulfilment

This handbook has been designed to help you find your way around what we offer. Please note that although it contains essential information regarding your studies, it is a general overview and therefore does not contain absolutely everything.

At Central we strive to provide you with the highest possible standard of tuition, support and advice so that you will achieve your professional and personal potential. Given the high calibre of our learners you will also have the opportunity to develop a strong network of colleagues and friends, new interests, and life skills.

I do hope make good use of the available support, material and advice and enjoy your time with us.

And please if you have any questions or comments about what we are doing or if there is any way I can be of further assistance do not hesitate to get in touch with me.

It would be good to hear from you.

With Kindest Regards

Dr David Morton Programme DirectorE: davidm@centraleduc.com T: +44 7775 906 024

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Henry Dalziel Office Manager Contact details: henryd@centraleduc.com

Abby Johnson Admin Assistant

Steve Wright Learning Management SystemBen Appleby Website design

Our office is at Weltech Business Centre, Ridgeway, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7 2AA. We are open Monday to Friday from 9.00 pm to 7.00 pm.

Dr David Morton: Senior tutor (Milton Keynes)Contact details: davidm@centraleduc.com Graham Smith (MCIPS) Senior tutor (Welwyn Garden City)Contact details: grahams @centraleduc.com Chris Turner (MCIPS ,PGCE) Senior tutor (Harlow)Contact details: christophert@centraleduc.com Craig Nicolson ( MCIPS ) Course tutor (Milton Keynes)Paul Johnston (MCIPS) Course tutor (Welwyn Garden City )Jody Adams (MCIPS) Course tutor ( Harlow)

WHO’S WHO AT CENTRAL BUSINESS SCHOOLTo put a face to the name and for more detailed information about our team please see the about us section of our website.

Teaching Team

Admin Team

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CIPS Course programmes

Dependant on your prior learning you may qualify for an exemption to individual study units or even levels. The CIPS Guide for Exemptions on the CIPS website provides further details .

The Foundation Diploma in Procurement and Supply

The Foundation Diploma in Procurement and Supply is the highest point of entry for

those without prior CIPS qualifications and leads on to the Advanced Diploma and Profes-

sional Diploma (MCIPs) qualifications. Entry requirements for the Foundation Diploma are

two ‘A’ levels or an equivalent or two years in a business related environment.

This is an intermediate level purchasing course, for those moving into or in first line and

middle management or supervisory procurement roles.

The course will enable you to develop skills in negotiation, and understand the complex-

ities of contracts and other commercial arrangements. You'll learn how to measure the

effectiveness of supply chains and analyse their impact on your business.

The Advanced Diploma in Procurement and Supply

The Advanced Diploma in Procurement and Supply provides senior buyers and contract

and supply chain managers with the expertise to improve organisational procurement

and to fulfil organisational objectives. You will need to have achieved the CIPS Foundation

Diploma in Procurement and Supply to qualify for this course.

The course will give you the knowledge base to reduce cost, improve quality, manage the

supply chain and deal with legal issues.

The CIPS Professional Diploma in Procurement and Supply

The CIPS Professional Diploma in Procurement and Supply is aimed at senior procurement

professionals and heads of department. To qualify for the course you will need to have

achieved the CIPS Advanced Diploma in Procurement and Supply. This is the final level

of the CIPS ladder of qualifications if you are aiming to achieve full membership of The

Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (MCIPS).

The course focuses on building strategic procurement competence, giving you the ability

to formulate strategic direction and advice, in relation to change management, stakehold-

er management and team leadership.

FeesOur tuition fees are £360 for each module or £1700 for each of the Diplomas. Included in this price are the weekly tuition sessions, individual feedback and coaching and all day revision sessions for each module.

It is also necessary to pay CIPS annual Membership @ £158, CIPS fees for each exam @ £108 and purchase textbooks for each module @ £37 (includes p&p).

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July 2014 exams series

D3: Sourcing in Procurement and SupplyAD6 :Operations Management in Procurement and SupplyPD5 Programme & project management

Exam entry closure: Friday 6 June 2014 Exam week: Monday 21st July Teaching calendar: w/c 2nd June to w/c 13th July Hours taught: 50 Hours

November 2014 exams series

D5 : Managing Contracts and RelationshipsAD1: Management in Procurement and SupplyPD1 Leadership

Exam entry closure: Friday 26 September 2014 Exam week: Monday 17th NovemberTeaching calendar: w/c 21st Sept to w/c 8th Nov Hours taught: 50 Hours

Jan 2015 exams series

D1: Contexts of procurement and supply AD2: Managing Risk in Supply ChainsPD2 : Corporate & business strategy

Exam entry closure: Friday 12th November 2014 Exam week commencing: Monday 25th January 2015Teaching calendar: w/c 23rd Nov to w/c 18th Jan Hours taught:50 Hours

March 2015 exams series (provisional dates)

D2: Business Needs in Procurement and SupplyAD4: Category Management in Procurement and SupplyPD3: Strategic SCM

Exam entry closure: Friday 8th February 2015 Exam week commencing: Monday 16th March 2015Teaching calendar: w/c 1st Feb to w/c 11th March Hours taught: 50 Hours

May 2015 exams series ( provisional dates)

D4: Negotiating and Contracting in Purchasing and SupplyAD3: Improving competiveness in Purchasing and Supply PD4 Supply chain diligence

Exam entry closure: Friday 27th March 2014Exam week commencing: Monday 18th May 2014Teaching calendar: w/c 22nd March to w/c 8th MayHours taught: 50 Hours

TEACHING TIMETABLES

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LEARNING, TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT

We provide resources for each module of the CIPS Foundation, Advanced and Professional Diplomas. The resources are grouped around the individual units that make up each module. The full list of resources is available in the client log in area of the website.

You can access the resources as follows:

The Resource Library is open during office and teaching hours. At the library you will be able to read and borrow recommended articles and books and view selected online material

At the Central Business School website client log in area you can read exemplar answers to past exam questions, conduct self tests, apply your knowledge to case studies and access the slides used in the teaching sessions

Links to external websites and particularly the CIPS website will enable you to view current procurement papers, articles and videos and keep up to date with the latest news on topics of interest.

Teaching MethodsClients studying the Foundation Diploma typically attend fortnightly Tuesday night group teaching sessions at our training centre in Welwyn between 6.30 to 9.30. There are no more than 10 clients at the sessions. We offer individual ‘catch up’ tutorials to clients who can't attend.

In the weeks when they are not directly taught clients tackle practice exam questions. Some clients sit these at our training centre as part of a tutor supported group workshop session. Other clients choose to tackle the questions at home. Exam practice help includes Skype /telephone feedback and 24/7 email support on exam questions - and conference calls where needed !

We provide written feedback on all submitted practice papers and on the 3 hour practice exam paper which candidates sit as part of a Saturday revision day leading up to each exam. While we have very few clients who are unsuccessful we offer a guaranteed pass! This means you can re-sit part ( or the whole!) of the course without paying any additional tuition fees.

Learning Resources

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CENTRE/ LEARNER CONTRACTS

FeesPlease make payment of fees, before or at the very beginning of the course or module you are studying.

Attendance and participation Clients who attend regularly are generally suc cesful in their studies. Because of this clients are expected to attend classes as much as possible. Clients who don’t attend reg ularly or properly complete work given to them may not be eligible for our pass guarantee.

Conduct and behaviourA key assumption is that clients conduct themselves in a way that is not harmful or offen-sive to the work and the good order and good name of Central Business School and its clients.

Health and SafetyEnsuring the health and safety of clients, staff and visitors is one of our highest priorities and we undertake to provide a safe environment and safe systems for all. Being safe involves the cooperation of everyone and we ask all on our premises take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and others.

Equality and DiversityWe are committed to providing a positive learn-ing and working environment where all mem-bers of the community are treated with dignity and respect. We will address discrimination, harassment and victimisation on the grounds of gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion and belief, socioeconomic background or any other relevant factor.

Compliments and complaintsWe’re always pleased to receive feedback – especially if its about good aspects of your time with us ! We also recognise that there may be circumstances where you may not be satisfied with a specific experience. The complaints procedure provides for complaints to be dealt with as far as possible on an informal basis. It also sets out the formal route for consideration of complaints if informal procedures fail to satisfactorily resolve any issue including the involvement of CIPS.

Appeals Our appeals policy is in place to protect clients against an unfair academic outcome or assess-ment. It also sets out the appeal mechanism for dealing with unexpected circumstances that have affected clients academic outcomes or where clients have study with Central Business School has been discontinued.

Money back guaranteeIt is in nobody’s interest for you to enrol on a course that is unsuitable for you. Our refund policy is in the client login area of the website but briefly during a 15 day period after enrolment we will give you a full refund less any costs, for example registration fees, we have incurred on your behalf

Policies and procedures related to each of the areas below are available on the client login area of our website .

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LEARNER SUPPORT

Learner Support Policy

We pride ourselves in caring for our clients and strive to do our level best to make sure each one succeeds - whatever barriers they face. If you have any learning support needs please let us know at the earliest opportunity so we can make the appropriate adjustments and put any support that is needed in place. David Morton is the first point of contact for learner support. Please ring him on 07775 906024 or email him at davidm@centraleduc.com

Reasonable Adjustments

Central Business School are committed to accommodating the needs of disabled cli-ents, employees and job applicants by making reasonable adjustment to our criterion, practice and provision and to the physical features of our premises. Making reasonable adjustments includes : adjusting the way things are done ; adjusting physical features of the premises and providing extra equipment. Our policy is available on the client log in area of our website.

Learner Engagement

At Central Business school we seek to continuously improve and to fully involve clients in our quality assurance systems. At the end of each module or course we seek feedback from every client about what we are doing well and how we can do to further strengthen our offer. Feedback includes questionnaires and group and individual feedback meetings.

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CIPS INFORMATION

Why become a CIPS member ?

CIPS membership brings a range of benefits designed to support your professional development, helping you and your organisation achieve all-round excellence in procurement and supply. These benefits include:

Exclusive access to professional news and resources

As a member, youíll have access to a range of authoritative professional resources. For

example, you can take advantage of:

- CIPS Knowledge about procurement and supply techniques and issues

- Online Continuing Professional Development scheme to keep your knowledge and skills

up-to-date

- CPD programmes and qualifications access a comprehensive, industry-recognised pro-

gramme of study and qualifications.

- Professional news, daily email alerts and RSS feeds through Supply Management website

- Purchasing Managers Indices (PMI)

Member newsletter

Exclusive access to professional networks

You’ll also be able to build connections with like-minded procurement professionals

through dynamic networking opportunities. These include:

- A wide range of training courses, seminars and conferences

- CIPS branch events where you can network and attend seminars and workshops

- Online procurement communities

- Special interest groups

Everyday support, guidance and benefits

CIPS offers benefits and expert guidance to help you achieve maximum effectiveness in

your everyday work. For example, CIPS provides :

- Discounts on study packs and access to relevant business texts to support your profes-

sional studies and development

- A CIPS helpline for legal advice thatís accurate, authoritative and free of charge

- Discounts on training events, workshops and conferences designed to sharpen your

competitive edge

- Access to 1,000 business lounges and offices when youíre on the move

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MOVING THINGS FORWARDIf you are interested in studying with Central Business School and would like to find out more, contact us: +44 (0)1908 698 848 or email admissions@centraleduc.com