If you've entered the supply chain management profession through the back door, you're not alone. Plenty of people working in the field today have backgrounds in, say, accounting or engineering but no formal education in logistics or supply chain management. To help them fill in any gaps in their knowledge, the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) offers two-day "Fundamentals of Supply Chain Management" workshops.

This year, workshops are scheduled for San Jose, Calif., on March 27 and 28; Boston on April 24 and 25; Minneapolis on Sept. 18 and 19; and Philadelphia on Nov. 13 and 14. CSCMP developed the workshops to benefit professionals ranging from line supervisors new to the profession to general managers and senior executives who have been charged with supply chain responsibilities.