By Paul F. Bacigalupo

The initial educational efforts were committed to developing and presenting first class annual national conferences. We've certainly come a long way, as the 40th APICS International Conference and Exhibition will be held in Washington, D.C., this Oct. 26-29. As chapters flourished, their focus was to develop monthly programs that would help foster the educational knowledge and business awareness necessary for personal growth. Chapters soon realized that there was a need to create and present educational programs/classes to supplement the monthly meetings. Many of us had our first chapter involvement in developing and presenting such programs.

In 1959, the APICS Quarterly Bulletin was developed as the journal that would, through articles, chronicle what was happening now and what changes would or could occur in the production and inventory management field. Today this educational vehicle continues, but has been renamed the Production and Inventory Management Journal.

Region structures were created in 1964, with seven regions in the United States and one region in Canada. In 1965, Region One (New England) organized one of the first regional seminars at Boston College. Today, regional seminars have become an established educational practice throughout the society.

In 1965, APICS created the APICS Educational and Research (E&R) Foundation Inc. The foundation has raised millions of dollars for the development of educational materials and programs in the fields of production and inventory management. These efforts, through research grants, have fostered the creation of an internationally recognized body of knowledge and world-class manufacturing principles and practices.

The Material Requirements Planning (MRP) Crusade in 1971 satisfied the need for a national APICS focus on this manufacturing planning function. Chapters followed the lead and presented their own MRP workshops to assist their members in exploiting the MRP opportunities within their companies. This effort was the start of what eventually became the APICS learning opportunities program which, in 1997, includes 31 workshops/seminars held at 23 sites throughout the United States and in one Canadian city.

Throughout APICS' early period, few books espoused the theory and practice of production and inventory management. In the 1960s and 1970s, we started to see more books from authors such as John Magee, Joe Orlicky, Oliver Wight and George Plossl, and an updated "Production Handbook" by Ronald Press, et al. In 1997, the APICS Educational Materials Catalog lists more than 550 products including books, videos and audiotapes, research documents, conference and seminar proceedings and teaching materials.

As the body of knowledge was being developed, it became apparent that there was a need for a program committed to education. For APICS, as for many societies, that program was and is certification. In the fall of 1973, APICS embarked on its first certification testing for the APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) program. To date, more than 500,000 CPIM examinations have been administered in 40 countries, with more than 57,000 CPIMs designated. The certification program developed a wealth of educational material that chapters use to present certification preparation courses for examination candidates.

As a result of the certification program and research grants awarded by the E&R Foundation, the body of knowledge has expanded into other business enterprise functions. In the late 1980s, another APICS certification program was created to increase understanding and integration of the various functions within a business enterprise: the Certified in Integrated Resource Management (CIRM) program.

The CIRM program has created additional educational material used by the chapters to develop and present CIRM certification preparation courses. All of the educational material developed for both of these certification programs also is available to individual companies to hold internal educational courses.

Since the 1970s, the translation of educational materials into other languages has been a challenge for APICS. Initially the effort was directed to Spanish, with Mexico being the key focus area. As the international membership grew, translation requests increased. Today, select educational material is translated into several languages, mostly by the individual country affiliates, to facilitate educational offerings within the member countries.

It is impossible to discuss the evolution of APICS education without addressing academia. Throughout the history of APICS, academicians have played a role in the development of educational materials and programs. In the early years, we had a few interested and cooperative academicians participate in local chapter activities as speakers, then in regional seminars and workshops, and eventually on the national level. However, it took a concerted effort on the part of national APICS to solicit and encourage their involvement. Many will remember the efforts of the Academic Liaison Committees to focus attention on this very important group of individuals who could help change the university and college curricula to address the educational needs of the production and inventory management field.

Much as the curricula needed to be changed in graduate business schools during the late '70s and '80s, there also was a demand for change in the undergraduate school programs to develop curricula suited to production and inventory management students. Today, university and college degree programs prepare men and women entering the business world to handle the issues facing manufacturers in the global market. Foundation research grants encouraged academicians to participate in the development of material to support the enhanced body of knowledge, to help expand the body of knowledge, and to partner with practitioners to address the educational needs of today and tomorrow.

Outstanding educational opportunities are available to today's APICS members. At the chapter level, courses are presented as preparatory classes on all facets of the business enterprise for the certification programs, and speakers at monthly meetings address topics that complement the chapter's educational programs. Many of the 14 regions present annual one- to two-day seminars. The national seminars and workshops are one- to three-day programs on 31 different business topics, and the annual international conference and exhibition provides nearly 200 educational sessions plus exhibits in a four-day period.

The evolution of APICS education truly demonstrates that APICS is The Educational Society for Resource Management.

Copyright © 2020 by APICS — The Educational Society for Resource Management. All rights reserved.

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