Purchasing, Logistics and Production Management
The aim of the GPLA Master’s is to train managers in the field of purchasing, particularly international purchasing, supplier relations, quality management and logistics. It also meets a growing demand from students for high-level training in international purchasing and supply chain professions.
As a result, this vocational Master’s aims to train executives so that they are capable of resolving managerial issues related to the supply chain of public or private organisations. The training prepares students for the now highly internationalised professions in purchasing and the supply chain so that they can take on operational managerial responsibilities in the short term and strategic managerial responsibilities later on within a purchasing and/or procurement department. This training, offered by way of apprenticeship, is therefore intended for students wishing to exercise high-level responsibilities in private and public organisations which wish to develop on an international level by taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the globalisation of markets.
Graduates of this programme take up jobs as operational managers or consultants in the capacities of:
- purchasing: buyer, international buyer, sourcing, etc.
- quality, supplier audit and supplier relationship management:
- logistics, sourcing and the supply chain.
Since the Master 1 programme is entirely composed of a common core curriculum, it is easy for students to change study paths. To do this, students must issue a request, stating their personal reasons for the change and detailing their career plan. The apprenticeship must also fit in the positioning of the requested study path.
As the programme takes the form of an apprenticeship and requires the signing of a 2-year apprenticeship contract, a change of course calls for the amicable termination of the initial contract and the signing of a new contract (with the same company or with another company).
The programme is open to students who hold the necessary prerequisites in management and business management. It is aimed at students who hold an approved undergraduate degree (economics and management, applied foreign languages, economic and
social administration, etc.), a professional diploma (international trade, trade, quality, logistics, purchasing, etc.) or an equivalent qualification.
As the programme is a work-study placement, it also requires some form of prior experience in a company (in the form of an internship or work-study assignment) as well as the ability to follow academic studies while doing an apprenticeship.
Develop a purchasing and logistics strategy in an international context: ensure competitive and regulatory monitoring, manage or co-manage a strategic vision of the purchasing and supply chain, set objectives and give direction, lead and bring together employees and partners in order to reach objectives.
Design and manage purchasing and supply chain management approaches and tools in an international context: develop purchasing policies and practices in line with the global strategy, allocate resources, apply and implement purchasing and supply chain management tools and approaches, manage key supply chain processes.
Manage a profit centre with respect to the role of purchasing and logistics in an international context: manage a budget, control and measure performance, estimate financial impacts; audit, analyse and evaluate the risks inherent in purchasing and the supply chain.
Choose and deploy quality management approaches and tools in relation to the company's suppliers and external partners: define quality indicators, implement certification approaches, apply and comply with standards and rules, issue invitations to tender and select suppliers, negotiate and draw up purchasing contracts, monitor the implementation of contracts, draw up an audit approach for suppliers and service providers.
Lead and manage a team (both organisational and human aspects) in an international context in particular and be able to integrate and/or drive a collective approach: set objectives, motivate employees, advise and negotiate with employees, manage conflicts, assess employees, manage the organisation of work and change, develop interpersonal and leadership skills, develop one's own behavioural and business skills.
Define and lead a proposed change within an organisation: draw up project management plans, coordinate the implementation of project components, manage alterations, draw up communication plans, lead and unite teams, manage relations with clients.