Delivering training to procurement professionals across the country with Skills Development Network
North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative (NOE CPC) has been collaborating with the NHS Skills Development Network (SDN) to provide training, events, and workshops to procurement professionals for several years. During #CollaborationMatters month, NOE CPC’s Caroline Brash, Training, Events, and Business Development Manager, and Michelle Walker, Senior Category Manager, discussed their continuous collaborative work with NHS Skills Development Network to provide training sessions and support to procurement professionals across the country.
“NOE CPC’s relationship with Skills Development Network (Yorkshire and the Humber) was formed in 2016. As a result of the work, that we’ve done in this region, we have been asked to deliver similar training sessions, in-person and virtually, in various areas across the country where NHS Skills Development Network operates including, South Central, South West, North West, West Midlands and most recently, East Midlands.
“When we initially started delivering training sessions, we identified a gap in the market for affordable NHS and public sector procurement training. The conventional training provider for procurement professionals is CIPS (Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply), however, as CIPS covers both private and public sectors they aren’t able to cover in depth the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and other elements that specifically impact NHS procurement professionals. We wanted to focus on the NHS, and that’s where the motivation came for us to deliver the different training sessions that we’re offering now. Our training sits alongside CIPS training and enhances the standard training that procurement professionals can obtain nationally.
“Collaboration is essential when it comes to working with organisations like the Skills Development Network. When we deliver training, it’s important we are on the same wavelength as SDN to understand the combined needs of our colleagues within NHS organisations so we can offer the right type of training opportunities for attendees. When we are working together to establish what training sessions to run, SDN will often approach NOE CPC and we work together to develop the training module. We want to make sure we truly understand SDN’s training brief and can bring to life what we’re teaching delegates.
“We deliver our training frequently and have always had a positive relationship with the Skills Development Network, particularly in Yorkshire and the Humber. We’ve got an open and honest relationship with them, and we have full trust and respect for each other’s abilities, so we don’t tread on each other’s toes and there’s no duplication in terms of what we deliver and what they deliver within the region.
“Most NHS trusts do not have access to huge pots of funding for training, and if they're part of a Skills Development Network, it allows them to access training to enhance their knowledge. We have a range of staff at varying stages in their careers that attend our training events and each of our sessions is tailored towards, and accessible to, these different levels. In addition to finance and procurement training, SDN also offers career development and personal development training. It’s great to get that balance and we’re very pleased to be able to input into that because we think all staff and colleagues benefit from that too.
“Providing the option of virtual training means we can provide sessions to more geographically remote areas. It's a useful tool to be able to offer and it provides attendees the flexibility to fix the training sessions around their work schedules. We also both enjoy delivering training sessions in person, it provides networking opportunities and many attendees have commented on their enjoyment of seeing our shared passion and knowledge in our training delivery. Michelle is the Senior Category Manager within our Healthcare Services and Pharmacy category, so we fully understand and address the current matters that attendees are facing within their job roles.
“As a result of the work that we do with the Skills Development Network, we’ve become part of the NHS England and Improvement (NHSE/I) People: Delivery Group and the NHSE/I’s sub-group, People: Develop Group, which involves developing and producing training on a national footing as well as regional.
“We continue to grow the selection of training that NOE CPC offers in collaboration with the Skills Development Network, and we fully support everything that they do. They are an asset to have.”
Testimonial
The Skills Development Network in Yorkshire and Humber (SDN Y&H) runs a programme of events which delivers high quality, cost effective bespoke learning and development events, in technical and non-technical subjects, for staff at all levels in NHS Finance, Procurement and Informatics across the whole region. It is, effectively, a “not for profit training club”, paid for by an annual subscriptions from NHS Organisations and ALBs across Yorkshire and Humber.
The relationship between SDN (Y&H) and NOECPC commenced when we started to provide training to Procurement Staff in 2016. NOECPC were one of the first organisations to commit to the Network and were represented on the first PSD Steering Group.
All the staff at NOECPC have been keen supporters of the SDN and when we were looking for someone to provide an event explaining NHS Procurement to non-procurement staff or staff new to NHS procurement, Caroline Brash and Michelle Walker produced “An Appreciation of NHS Procurement” which has been successfully run for a number of years in the Yorkshire & Humber Region and in several other SDN Regions around the country. Subsequently Caroline and Michelle have successfully produced and delivered several other events which have been very well received and we look forward to continue to work together for the foreseeable future.
Nigel Booth
Head of Skills Development – Yorkshire and Humber
If you would like to know more about the events and training offered by NOE CPC, please email enquiries@noecpc.nhs.uk or click here to browse and access our training events page.