A new partnership between The Open University and The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in the UK (CILT(UK)) has been announced to develop strategic and leadership skills within the sector.
The OU’s Business School already delivers an established MBA (Master of Business Administration) qualification and has a global network of more than 100,000 alumni in 121 countries, including over 27,000 MBA graduates.
Now CILT(UK) has agreed to accredit a supply chain and logistics pathway to the MBA. This means successful students will emerge with the knowledge requirement to meet the standards of a Chartered Member with CILT(UK), which demonstrates sector-specific skills and knowledge.
OU Business School has ‘triple accredited’ status
The Open University Business School (OUBS) enjoys triple-accredited(1) status, and is part of an elite 1% of business schools in the UK to have achieved this.
Liz Ponting, Sector Lead for Transport and Logistics at the OU, has been working with CILT(UK) to support skills development of its diverse and varied membership of employers and individuals, working across several different industries. She said:
“CILT(UK) identified the elective modules in Sustainable creative management and Supply chain management as the MBA pathway that would give leaders in the sector the overarching knowledge to understand how supply chains work and how managers can innovative in a sustainable manner.”
CILT(UK) has developed a competency framework, which sets out and identifies the skills people need to work in the sector, and to help members assess and address any gaps and training requirements.
As well as the technical capabilities required to work across supply chain functions, the competency framework highlights the core transferable skills in areas of efficiency, quality and risk; data and technology; and leadership, management and engagement.
This is just one of a number of degrees the organisation accredits from several institutions to upskill and reskill existing staff to solve members’ recruitment and upskilling challenges.
Tania Barker, Director of Education and Professional Standards at CILT(UK), said:
“Traditional educational models don’t always work in our sector and people are changing how, where and when they learn.”
She added:
“When it comes to strategic leadership, this MBA pathway is attractive to a wide demographic and is delivered via The Open University’s flexible model that will resonate with our members and develop effective leaders.”
Bjorn Claes, the OU’s Teaching Director for Postgraduate Programmes, who worked with Liz on mapping the MBA curriculum to the CILT(UK) competency framework, said:
“The OU’s MBA is a reflective qualification and helps students develop new skills that will help them face the various challenges facing transport and logistic organisations.
“There is a real need for skilled strategic leaders in the sector and over the last year we have created four new faculty roles to meet the needs of developing the school’s curriculum further in this sector. All roles have been filled by academics from outside the UK, bringing a truly diverse mix and approach to global supply chain challenges.
“The OU is looking forward to its partnership with CILT(UK) and continuing to support both its members, and the sector as a whole, deal with many challenges over the last couple of years and into the future.”
(1) Triple accredited status means a business school has an accreditation from each of the main international accreditation agencies (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), Association of Master of Business Administration (AMBA) and European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS))
Pictured with the CILT(UK) certification of accreditation award to the OU for the CILT(UK) MBA pathway on the OU campus in Milton Keynes are (l to r) Tania Barker, Director of Education and Professional Standards at CILT(UK), Bjorn Claes, Teaching Director Masters Programmes and Senior Lecturer (OUBS), Sharon Kindleysides, CEO CILT (UK), Mike Lucas, Associate Dean Curriculum, portfolio strategy (OUBS), Liz Ponting, Sector Lead for Transport and Logistics (OU Business Development)
