FMCG Supply Chain Practitioners will work in one or more supply chain functions. Typical duties could include forecasting customer demand as a Junior Demand Planner, liaising with the factories schedule production as a Junior Supply Planner, processing orders as a Customer Service Operative and working with hauliers and Distribution Centres as an Assistant Transport Planner. They have a comprehensive understanding of the entire supply chain, are responsible for their impact on each function and strive to deliver the best value for their business and customer. Due to the high number of interactions both within and outside of the business, they need strong relationship building, influencing, stakeholder management and communication skills alongside sound analytical, information technology and numeracy skills, with an ability to work in a fast paced environment with frequently changing requirements.

Typically this programme will take 30 months to complete.

The aim of the Supply Chain Practitioner programme is to provide those working in supply chain roles at the functional level with the understanding and skills required to add value and supply the higher level goals of the organisation. Students will benefit from classroom sessions, professional discussions, and guidance from an Encompass tutor throughout the course. The programme is divided into 11 modules, each module comprising of a pre-session assignment, a classroom session where the candidate will learn relevant material and take part in activities to re-inforce their understanding, and a post-session assignment that will allow the learner to demonstrate what they have learned.

Employers will set their own criteria, but typically an entrant to this apprenticeship will already have achieved a minimum of Level 2 in English and maths. Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the end-point assessment for this apprenticeship. Modules the learner will study in order to achieve the learning objectives set by the standard are:

Module 1 Understanding supply chains
Module 2 Demand planning
Module 3 Supply planning
Module 4 Logistics
Module 6 Legal aspects
Module 7 Key performance indicators
Module 8 Continuous improvement
Module 9 Factory management
Module 10 Procurement
Module 11 Accounts and finance

The end-point assessment comprises of three separate elements, candidates will be awarded up to 25% of the final marks by completing a written test, which will include a mix of multiple choice and extended answer questions. Up to 50% of the marks can be achieved by producing a robust, value-adding workplace project, written up as a document of no more than 3,000 words and delivered as a presentation. The remaining 25% of available marks can be gained by a professional dialogue and interview where the learner will demonstrate their new knowledge and capabilities to an independent assessor.