Association and university team to deliver online purchasing training

THE PURCHASING MANAGEMENT Association of Canada (PMAC) has teamed with Alberta-based Athabasca University's Centre for Innovative Management to deliver PMAC's four fundamental "Principles" courses online.

Where it used to take an average of two to three years to complete the Certificate in Purchasing, beginning in March 2004, the flexibility of the online program will allow students the opportunity to finish within one year. Eventually PMAC intends to expand its online offerings to include all the courses pertaining to its Certified Professional Purchaser (CPP) designation, with the exception of a mandatory in-residence Advanced Purchasing Management Course that runs over six days.

PMAC (www.pmac.ca) sponsors the Leenders Purchasing Management Association of Canada Chair at the University of Western Ontario; co-publishes the Ivey Purchasing Managers Index, and is founder of the Canadian Purchasing Research Foundation. The Centre for Innovative Management at Athabasca University (www.mba.athabascau.ca) is home to Canada's largest Executive MBA program, offered to Canadians and students from 23 countries worldwide. The centre also delivers the first fully interactive online EMBA program in the world.