Procurement Needs People. Here’s Why That’s Good News for Your Business
Procurement has quietly become one of the most important functions in a business without most people outside it noticing. Every supplier negotiated well, every contract managed properly, every risk spotted before it turns into a cost, that’s procurement doing its job. And right now, across the UK, businesses are facing a genuine procurement talent gap, finding it hard to get enough of it.
The procurement talent gap: a profession under real pressure
The latest CIPS Procurement and Supply Salary Guide, produced with Hays, found that well over half of those responsible for hiring procurement professionals have struggled to find the right talent. That’s not a small pocket of difficulty. Across every region the research covers, employers give the same biggest reason: a lack of technical skills, or a lack of proof that someone has had proper procurement training.
The UK figures add more detail. Almost half of UK businesses with hiring plans this year are looking for entry-level procurement talent, so the appetite to bring new people into the profession is clearly there. At the same time, only around 44% of those responsible for recruitment and training expect their procurement teams to grow at all over the next twelve months. That’s a noticeable drop on the year before. Businesses want the right people, but they’re being more careful about how they find them and what they invest in once they do.
That combination, strong demand and real caution, creates exactly the environment where proper training stops being optional. It becomes the thing that decides whether a business can actually staff this function well.
A career that deserves more attention than it gets
Part of why the gap exists is that procurement still isn’t well understood outside the profession, and that’s a shame, because it has a lot going for it. Procurement and supply professionals in the UK earn an average salary of around £56,677, comfortably above the national full-time average. Even entry-level roles typically pay between £27,000 and £41,000.
Those with a CIPS qualification behind them earn roughly 20% more than peers without one at the same stage. The difference tends to grow as a career progresses.
For an employee, that makes procurement a genuinely strong option: real pay, real variety, and a recognised professional qualification behind it. For an employer, it means the people doing this work well are worth holding on to and worth investing in properly. A well-trained procurement function pays for itself many times over. Better supplier terms, fewer costly surprises, and tighter control over where money is going all trace back to the same thing: having the right skills in the building.
Apprenticeships are how businesses are actually closing the gap
Given that the shortage comes down to technical skill and formal training, the fix is more straightforward than it might feel. An apprenticeship builds exactly that, whether it’s someone joining procurement for the first time or someone already doing the job who’s never had the formal qualification to back it up. Both routes address the same gap the research keeps pointing to, just from opposite ends.
Bringing in new talent
For businesses that need new talent, apprenticeships are the more sustainable way in. Rather than competing for the same small pool of experienced procurement people every other business is also chasing, you bring someone in and train them around how your business actually operates: your suppliers, your systems, your way of doing things. That tends to produce someone genuinely useful faster than most people expect. It also builds the kind of loyalty that a purely external hire rarely comes with.
Developing the people you already have
For businesses with people already doing the job, the case is just as strong, and it’s the one businesses overlook most often. Plenty of procurement teams have people handling negotiation, supplier management and day-to-day decision making without a business ever formalising that experience. An apprenticeship gives that experience proper structure and closes the specific gaps in technical knowledge the research keeps flagging. It gives a business genuine proof, rather than an assumption, that someone can do the job to a proper standard.
Victoria Balmforth completed her Level 3 Procurement and Supply Apprenticeship after bringing years of prior experience into the role. Her End-Point Assessment recognised precisely the kind of skills businesses say are hardest to find. As she puts it: “To know that my professionalism, stakeholder management, negotiation skills, supplier due diligence and commitment to continuous learning were recognised makes all the hard work worthwhile.”
Treated this way, apprenticeships stop being just a hiring tool for one end of a career and start being a genuine answer to the shortage on both sides of it, new talent coming in, and existing talent being properly recognised.
Where Aspire fits in
This is the gap Aspire exists to help close. We provide the training and qualifications behind procurement apprenticeships, from a first Level 3 hire through to higher level, CIPS accredited routes for people already in the profession. We work with businesses of every size to make that training count for something real in the workplace, not just on paper.
Matt Ruddy took a Level 4 Procurement and Supply Chain Practitioner apprenticeship with Aspire, followed by a Level 5 Advanced Diploma, and describes exactly the kind of outcome that training is meant to produce: “The apprenticeship has given me a much stronger understanding of the theory behind the responsibilities I handle day to day. That’s helped me make more informed decisions and approach tasks with greater clarity. It’s also boosted my confidence when speaking with colleagues, suppliers and customers.”
Every employer we work with gets a dedicated Skills Coach, and a director or Head Of leads every progress review, not a call centre. That means there’s always someone senior enough involved to keep things moving properly. Whether you’re bringing new talent into procurement for the first time or investing in someone who’s already part of your team, we handle the training and the administration. The outcome is someone genuinely equipped to do the job well, and a business a little better placed to deal with a talent gap that isn’t going away on its own.
Let’s talk
If the procurement talent gap is something you’re already feeling, whether that’s finding new people or developing the ones you have, get in touch with Aspire. We’ll help you understand what funding and support applies, and where to start.
Call 0808 231 2477 | qualify@cips-training.com | www.cips-training.com
Procurement talent gap FAQs
Why is there a procurement talent gap in the UK?
Employers report a lack of technical skills and formal training as the leading cause, according to the CIPS Procurement and Supply Salary Guide, not a lack of interest in the profession.
How can businesses close the procurement talent gap?
Many are turning to apprenticeships, either bringing in new entry-level talent or formalising the skills of people already doing the job, rather than competing for the same small pool of experienced hires.
Is procurement a well-paid career?
Yes. UK procurement professionals earn an average of around £54,000, with CIPS-qualified professionals earning roughly 20% more than uncertified peers.