I realize that I’ve been banging the drum loudly lately about the pending supply management talent crisis. And, at the risk of sounding too much like an Al Gore the-sky-has-a-hole-in-it sensationalist, the evidence that there is a huge fissure in the supply management talent pool continues to mount.

In recent weeks, Aberdeen Group cited recruiting and retaining top talent as the #1 challenge facing CPOs today. Purchasing Magazine noted that the talent crunch is driving up salaries. And supply management executives have been ranting to me that other companies (and functions) are stealing their best talent.

Recognizing that every acid-rain ladened cloud has a titanium lining, a new study from Next Level Purchasing reveals strategies supply managers can use to leverage the talent crisis to their advantage. Based on a survey of 1,200 purchasing and supply management professionals, The 2007 Purchasing & Supply Management Career & Skills Report, recommends the following approaches for getting ahead:

• Develop the right skills: According to the survey, the most important skills for supply managers include communications and relationship management; planning and strategy development; supplier development and management; sourcing and supplier selection; negotiation; and best practices implementation. Also on the list were developing technology skills and project management skills, which, as I noted here, is shaping up to the be quickest way for a supply management professional to move up the career ladder.
• Spend more time in training: The study revealed that the typical purchasing and supply management professional devotes just 18.5 hours per year to training each year. That’s up a full hour from last year, but far off the pace of the top 5% of supply management professionals who devoted a whopping 80 hours to training in the past year.
• Get certified: According to the study, employers are increasingly seeking candidates with a professional qualification or certification, such as ISM’s Certified Purchasing Manager (C.P.M.), Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM), or Accredited Purchasing Practitioner (A.P.P.) credentials. Of course, report author and Next Level President Charles Dominick, recommends the Senior Professional in Supply Management (SPSM) Certification, which is a globally recognized certification program founded by Next Level. (In Charles’ defense, the SPSM program is more in touch with today’s global and technology-driven supply management profession than the traditional C.P.M. certification.) That said, the study backs up Charles recommendation, finding that “individuals who have the SPSM Certification earn an average of $13,634 (US) more per year” than those who don’t. The point? Credentials matter. Get some — soon.

The full report reviews survey results on the latest supply management trends, preferred nomenclature for the purchasing discipline (more on that later), and more detail on career and skills planning. You can access the full report for free by registering for Next Level’s Free Purchasing Resources Program.