Around the globe, public procurement organisations share similar stories on the challenges they face attracting and retaining the talent they need to deliver on ever-more ambitious expectations of the profession. Both Scotland and the USA have taken a holistic approach to address these challenges in succession planning.
As part of their ongoing collaboration to build the next generation of public procurement professionals, NASPO and the Scottish Government hosted a virtual international talent symposium in September 2026: Procurement People of Today and Tomorrow. This brought together procurement leaders, students, educators, and professionals at different stages of their careers from across the United States, Scotland and Canada to share and learn from experiences on how we could collaborate to support our ambitions.
During a lively and interactive debate, early entrants to procurement from the United States and Scotland shared their experiences on:
- What attracted them to a career in procurement, with advice be to others thinking about joining the profession;
- What academic or vocational routes they had taken in to procurement, sharing experiences so far; and
- What advice would they give to employers to enrich new entrants’ experiences?
What was clear from discussions was the level of motivation and commitment to a career in procurement with a genuine buzz through the various stories shared. What was extremely helpful for current leaders and practitioners to hear, was how they could engage to support, develop and help retain our new entrants, ensuring we continue to give them opportunities to learn, share ideas, and build meaningful careers in the profession.
Making Procurement a Career of Choice
People rarely grow up knowing about public procurement as a career choice. That was certainly true for several former interns from US state and Scottish procurement offices who participated in the symposium. With backgrounds ranging from music production and criminology to commercial aviation and more, each took a different path into the procurement profession, learning about how it is so much more than simply purchasing goods and services.
Recognising and valuing transferable skills is why Scotland’s Procurement People of Tomorrow program deliberately focuses on reaching people who have never considered it, offering a flexible range of academic and vocational routes into the profession created in collaboration between the Scottish Government and its academic partners. This helps to support a more diverse procurement community reflective of the communities we serve.
For example, rather than offering procurement through a specialized supply chain management degree, Glasgow Caledonian University incorporated the subject into its broader business management curriculum. This meant students can learn about procurement as part of their existing studies, without having to choose it as a career path from the start. The shift grew procurement exposure from approximately 20 students to more than 650, with more than 60 third-year students going on to take further procurement courses.
Colleges and universities have a chance to introduce procurement earlier and, in more programs, so students can see what the profession involves before deciding whether it could be a fit for them; and employers can also take advantage of vocational apprenticeship and career changer entry routes that have been, or are being, developed for those that learn differently or are at a different stage in their career.
Creating Career Pathways That Lead Somewhere
Attracting new talent is an important first step, but what happens after someone joins procurement?
Participants emphasized the importance of internships and targeted academic projects in preparing people for careers in procurement. These provide hands-on experience and an introduction to the profession. Once new professionals enter the workplace, the goal is to continue developing skills by working alongside colleagues, learning how existing processes operate, and taking on opportunities beyond their immediate responsibilities.
Former interns and graduates shared stories about how they had identified opportunities to improve processes, systems or practice and the encouragement and pride they experienced in bringing something new to procurement teams, growing their confidence to offer more suggestions for improvement. Experiences like these show how much new employees gain from hands-on work in a procurement teams, especially when they are free to ask questions, take on projects, and share their own ideas.
We also touched on how procurement teams can support employees as their careers develop. Retention matters, but participants acknowledged that not everyone will stay with the same organization long term. Employees who have opportunities to take on different projects, learn from experienced colleagues, and build new skills can make valuable contributions during their time within procurement, even if they eventually move on to another opportunity, hopefully as a more informed procurement ally!
Driving Change Through Leadership
As procurement teams bring in new talent, leaders need to consider how they can develop and build the new entrant’s skills, keeping them engaged with a balance of work that is, both, necessary and interesting. This will ensure they can learn the skills they need to deliver now and in the future, as well as helping them to develop their potential, encouraging creativity.
Employees may see opportunities to improve existing processes, but putting those ideas into practice often requires support from those who have spent years working within established systems. That requires leaders to be open to different perspectives and ideas.
Participants talked about how leaders can encourage employees to suggest improvements while still maintaining the oversight and accountability the work requires. One takeaway: resistance to change isn’t always unwillingness. Often, it’s a concern that needs to be understood and addressed.
One professional discussed a government contracting process that required a senior leader to review every contract in full. The review provided important oversight but also added two to three weeks to the approval process, delaying services for children in foster care. Rather than removing the leader from the process, the team developed a shorter briefing that outlined any changes or unique contract terms, allowing the leader to focus on the information that needed attention without reviewing the entire document.
That one adjustment reduced the review time from two to three weeks to just two to three days, allowing services to reach children approximately two weeks sooner. In this case, the team didn’t need to eliminate an established process to improve it. They found a way to maintain leadership oversight without delaying services for the children who needed them.
Sometimes taking a closer look at processes helps staff understand why it was created and enables targeted changes that better serve everyone involved. For procurement leaders, making space for that kind of problem-solving helps offices remain accountable while finding more effective ways to deliver critical services. And, of course, that helps to motivate new entrants to stay and grow their skills in our profession.
Preparing for the Future Together
A stronger procurement workforce requires investment in attracting, developing and retaining skills. People need to feel supported in growing their skills, with a chance to make a difference and feel valued in doing so.
Throughout the symposium, participants from the United States, Scotland and Canada shared how they’re tackling these challenges, from college and university courses that introduce students to procurement, to meaningful internships and apprenticeships, to encouraging employees to rethink established processes.
The conversations showed how much the profession offers, particularly when people see how procurement decisions shape the communities we serve.
As procurement offices plan ahead, sharing ideas, investing in their teams, and creating opportunities for generations of professionals to learn from one another will be an important part of preparing the workforce for what comes next.