Purchasing clerk: continuing education, further training, information, self-test, overview of schools and offers

Classic purchasing clerk tasks are:

• Assuming responsibility in a production or trading company for economically optimized purchasing
• Negotiating with suppliers
• Processing of complaints
• help shape the procurement process as part of the value chain
• take into account the legal basis of purchasing
• analyze and calculate prices

An administrator course does not lead to a federally recognized qualification, but to an internal certificate "Purchasing Assistant" or "Purchasing Administrator".

After continuing education, further training as a Purchasing Clerk, you will be able to work primarily operationally in procurement processes, either independently or in close cooperation with the team or purchasing management. You will support your superiors in evaluating suppliers, preparing supplier visits and negotiations. They are also in regular contact with suppliers and internal partners from production, logistics, marketing and sales.

You need the following personal skills as a Purchasing Clerk:

• Knowledge of procurement and determination of requirements, legal bases and payment methods, purchasing and logistics
• Negotiating skills
• Very good knowledge of MS Office (Excel, Word, Outlook etc.)
• Experience in dealing with suppliers and service providers
• Very good written and spoken English skills
• SAP knowledge if required
• Independent, careful and reliable way of working
• Strategic and analytical thinking
• Ability to work in a team and flexibility

A purchasing clerk training course costs between CHF 3,500 and CHF 5,000 including examination fees. As this is a course with a school certificate, the schools determine the scope and costs individually. It is therefore advisable to compare the costs of the schools in question in advance.

Participants in continuing education, further training to become a purchasing clerk generally do not need any previous knowledge of procurement. They acquire the necessary basic knowledge in this area during the course.

Continuing education to become a purchasing clerk can vary greatly in length depending on the school and the course offered.

This is because the educational programs are determined independently by the respective schools.

As a rule, however, they last one semester.

We therefore recommend that you contact the school of your choice directly via our contact form or use the "Ask a question" button to get in touch with the right contact person.

The aim of the continuing education, further training for purchasing clerks is to provide an introduction to the basic concepts and mechanisms of purchasing. Participants learn content that can be implemented in day-to-day business and deal with cross-company topics in the value chain. The continuing education, further training is aimed at working independently as a purchasing clerk.

The seminar "Purchasing Clerk with Certificate" is also suitable for people who are already employed in purchasing or in warehousing, logistics, production planning or distribution and would now like to undertake further training. However, it always makes sense to get in touch with the respective contact persons at the individual schools before registering for continuing education, further training and to clarify these and any other open questions individually.

Purchasing clerks support the purchasing management. They obtain quotations, process orders, conduct price negotiations and organize deliveries. Other administrative activities round off the job description. The field of activity as a purchasing clerk / purchasing assistant / purchasing clerk is versatile and varied, which is why there are different names for this profession.

The requirements for purchasing clerk jobs are very similar. Most employers require basic commercial training and professional experience in purchasing. This is because the job of purchasing clerk usually involves a lot of administrative and organizational activities and commercial training is the ideal preparation for this job. Of course, special training as a purchasing assistant can increase your job prospects.