It is a well known fact in the world of credit control / management that people just ‘fall into’ a career in credit. As a tutor in all things credit management (slight exaggeration!) after the June exams and before the start of the September sessions I take the time to clear out old teaching files (both paper and on my computer). I do ti for a variety of reasons:
- Partly to clear space
- To review teaching keeping material that I thought was good / helpful at the time but things may have changed e.g.
- Money Laundering laws
- the introduction of GDPR in May 2018
- Consumer Rights Act 2015
Point 2 leads me stress the ever increasing importance of staying up to date in knowledge and the way we approach our roles – what was good least week / month / year may not be good today.
With that in mind the key to date is Education it comes in many guises:
- Up to date reading (The CICM magazine is a good place to start!
- For credit managers encourage your team to follow one of the CICM’s many education streams: http://qualifications.cicm.com/
- For those involved in credit the above web site will also help
- There are new classes starting in September click on ‘Where to study’ http://qualifications.cicm.com/
- Last but not least (for today) Apprenticeships cannot go without a mention http://www.cicm.com/apprenticeships/:
Apprenticeships are not just for new employees – organisations can use them to structure and accelerate the training and development of current staff. For example employees are eligible for funding for Level 3 Diploma in Credit Management programmes, thus providing a funded fast-track pathway to professional accreditation.
CICM currently offer five apprenticeships for the Credit Management profession.
Click for further information on the Government Levy & apprenticeship funding, six reasons to train an apprentice and training an apprentice and becoming an apprentice.
For further advice on Apprenticeships E apprenticeship@cicm.com or T 01780 722 909
So if you are starting out a career in credit could be the answer! It offers a career path with qualifications, job satisfaction, a good salary structure and above all fun! The possibilities are out there, I hope to share with you some highlights of my career, some pointers to help anyone interested,