Elevating employee competency and engagement through the design, development and implementation of a procurement and supply chain academy

As part of a five-year transformation plan, Bombardier Aviation procurement and supply chain identified an opportunity to address employee engagement, enablement and development opportunities through the design and implementation of a procurement and supply chain learning academy. After consulting with external entities, a team of cross-functional internal stakeholders assessed the needs of the procurement organisation and designed a structured plan to build and roll out the learning academy. Careful planning and design resulted in a robust curriculum to address the needs of all levels in the organisation. Many forms of training are provided through the academy, including classroom training led by both internal and external instructors and customisable online self-led courses. The success of the academy will rely on on-going support and prioritisation from the organisation’s management. The academy is in its relative infancy but initial internal feedback is positive. The results of the programme implementation will continue to be assessed over time. Plans are in place to continue to grow the programme by expanding the scope of its offerings. The benefits of attraction, engagement and retention are expected to be enjoyed by both the employees and the organisation for years to come. This paper intends to relay the process that was followed to innovate and implement the procurement academy at Bombardier Aviation and share the keys to success and lessons learned along the journey.