TPM® Verified Talent Supply Chain Manager

Current TPM® Verified Talent Supply Chain Managers

Frequently Asked Questions

Most Commonly Asked Questions

The TPM® Verified Talent Supply Chain Manager application is housed in the TPM Co/Lab™ platform. To access the application, please visit https://colab.tpmacademy.org/ to log in or create an account. Once you are logged in, you can enroll in the TPM Verified Talent Supply Chain Manager course from the course catalog. Once enrolled you will be able to see the application questions within the course. You can preview the application here. 

The time needed to complete this application will vary by applicant, but we suggest you plan for 8 hours total, including writing and reviewing for accuracy and completeness. You might consider viewing this application as a TPM project that indicates your use of TPM concepts in the field. You can save your progress as you go and complete this application in more than one sitting. Also, please plan for enough time to obtain your letter of support and to collect any optional accompanying documents you may wish to submit to support your work.

The TPM Talent Supply Chain Manager Badge is issued to TPM Academy graduates that have received a passing score on the summative assessment, also taken within the TPM Co/Lab environment. This badge recognizes knowledge of the TPM Academy curriculum as measured by a passing assessment score. 

This peer-reviewed credential verifies that a TPM Talent Supply Chain Manager is using the TPM framework and methodology in the field and working with employer collaboratives and/or internal employer teams to build talent pipelines, as evaluated by a committee of experienced peers in the TPM network (the Peer Review Advisory Committee). 

Note: For those TPM Academy graduates whose TPM Academy experience pre-dated availability of the summative assessment please contact TPMlearning@uschamber.org for more information about meeting this requirement. 

What is distinctive about this level of recognition is that those who submit an application for peer review will be asked to demonstrate both knowledge of TPM concepts and the ability to adapt and implement the model for specific regional contexts to co-design talent pipelines with employers and associated partners. 

A TPM Verified Talent Supply Chain Manager will be recognized as such in the field of TPM Academy graduates in the National Learning Network (NLN), across industries and employer partners engaged in TPM, and in the broader human resources and workforce and economic development communities. TPM Verified Talent Supply Chain Manager credential recipients who have adequately maintained the credential (see “Application Maintenance and Renewal” FAQ section) will be listed on the TPM Academy website. 

Recipients of the TPM Verified Talent Supply Chain Manager credential will be required to renew their credential every three years. This is meant to ensure that practitioners maintain active facilitation of TPM activities and/or continue professional development in topics associated with the TPM framework and methodologies. 

Eligibility + Prerequisites

Any TPM Academy graduate who meets the prerequisites outlined in the application is eligible to apply for this credential—including TPM partners playing the role of host organization facilitator or individuals leading internal employer initiatives that utilize the TPM framework and methodologies. Prerequisites are defined in this credential’s application, standards, and in the “What are the prerequisites for application?” response below.

Applicants must meet the following prerequisite requirements before submitting a TPM Verified Talent Supply Chain Manager credential application for consideration. 

  1. Completion of the TPM Academy curriculum and attainment of the TPM Talent Supply Chain Manager badge (obtained through a passing score on the TPM Summative Assessment).
  2. Demonstrated experience in implementing the TPM framework, methodology, and associated concepts in the field, through an employer collaborative, employer-led initiative, or application of TPM methods to another existing talent pipeline initiative. (See below for additional information about requirements related to experience.)
  3. A letter of support from a colleague, superior, or allied partner detailing leadership in TPM principles and implementation.

Experience mentioned above must meet the following requirements:

  • Launch and implementation of at least one TPM employer collaborative, or application of the TPM process to an existing industry-driven, employer-led initiative. Role in launch and implementation must consist of one of the following:
    • A defined leadership role in facilitation and implementation of at least one collaborative or leading an internal employer team for those employers working alone.
    • Contributions to co-leading, consulting, or supporting a host organization or internal employer team.
  • Completion of Strategies 1 through 4 of the TPM framework and progress made in Strategy 5, as outlined in the application and provided by the applicant in narrative responses.
    • Demonstrated progress in the creation or improvement of at least one talent pipeline solution through the TPM co-design phase outline in Strategy 5 (e.g., pipeline expansion and recruitment strategies, retention solutions, career awareness efforts, career pathway and upskilling strategies).
    • Planned (or implemented) activity around measurements of success and alignment of incentives. While this activity is not required to have been completed, questions will ask you to describe efforts underway and/or planned activity.
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For those TPM Academy graduates whose TPM Academy experience pre-dated availability of the summative assessment please contact TPMlearning@uschamber.org for more information about meeting this requirement.

Letters of support can come from any leader who can vouch for your application of the TPM framework and methodologies in the field. This may be a colleague, superior, allied partner, employer, or other leader able to describe your leadership in applying the TPM principles to regional, state, or internal employer talent pipeline development efforts.

Yes. For those submitting an application based on collaborative work with partners, be sure to describe your own role in implementation. Before moving on to each question and subsequent section, please ensure that you have fully answered and addressed the appropriate competencies for each question from the perspective of your own role in implementation and the various decision points encountered on your TPM journey.

Yes, you can still qualify. What is being evaluated through your application responses is your approach to each TPM strategy through the lens of your collaborative’s (or internal team’s) specific pain points and needs. If you feel a particular TPM approach was not relevant to your specific context, explain how you came to this conclusion through consultation with your collaborative or internal team, and how you obtained the information needed to solve industry/employer challenges through facilitation of the TPM framework. If you leveraged the TPM framework and strategies at each decision point and decided to forego a particular approach or component of TPM, you should be able to meet the competency requirements by describing your approach to collecting information that aligns with the framework and determining the appropriate next steps as defined by your collaborative or internal team. The application will provide examples of flexible, alternative approaches. In addition, to obtain this credential you must receive a passing score for 75% or more of the required competencies, so there is some “wiggle room” to accommodate shifts in strategy based on employer need, not using more advanced methodologies in initial rounds of implementation, etc. 

Yes, you can. We recognize that Strategy 5 is a long-game effort and may be ongoing. For most Strategy 5 activities/approaches, the application will require you to represent either completed activity or efforts that you are currently implementing. See the detailed prerequisites (“What are the prerequisites for application?”) and application questions 12—16 for more detail.

Application Requirements + Competencies

The time needed to complete this application will vary by applicant, but we suggest you plan for 8 hours total, including writing and reviewing for accuracy and completeness. You might consider viewing this application as a TPM project that indicates your use of TPM concepts in the field. You can save your progress as you go and complete this application in more than one sitting. Also, please plan for enough time to obtain your letter of support and to collect any optional accompanying documents you may wish to submit to support your work.

There are thirty-two competencies associated with this credential and application. For each of the sixteen questions in the application, those competencies we expect you to demonstrate through your responses are listed. Questions have anywhere from one to four associated competencies. For a full list of competencies (and their associated questions) see the “Full Competency List” resource available in the Resources tab on the left navigation menu of the TPM Verified TSC Manager course.

Applicants are expected to adequately describe their work through responses to each of 16 questions. Responses should be as concise as possible and respond to the elements requested. High-level guidance—in number of paragraphs—is provided for each question, but the most important consideration is demonstration of the associated competencies in your response.

Applicants will be evaluated on their use of TPM competencies in the field, as demonstrated through narrative answers to the application questions. 

Competencies will be evaluated based on the following evaluation scale, averaged across peer reviewers:

Met – The candidate has provided sufficient evidence/explanation of required competency usage in the field.
Not Met/Need More DetailEither insufficient evidence/explanation of the required competency was provided and more explanation may be needed, or the efforts described are in direct conflict with the goals of TPM.

Candidates must receive a “met” determination from the majority of reviewers (2 of 3) for at least 75% of the required competencies to meet the requirements for application approval. 

The competencies associated with this application and credential were determined by a team of U.S. Chamber Foundation staff, consultants, and experienced TPM partners (i.e., TPM Fellows), and refined through a multi-round pilot process. For a full list of competencies (and their associated questions) see the “Full Competency List” resource available in the Resources tab on the left navigation menu of the TPM Verified Talent Supply Chain Manager course.

All guidelines surrounding this application, its content, and associated processes and policies were determined with guidance from various TPM stakeholders. Policies and processes are subject to change, as needed. Changes will be communicated on the website and to current credential holders for which the U.S. Chamber Foundation has a current email address, as governed by the TPM Verified Talent Supply Chain Manager Credential Standards.

Applicants are expected to adequately describe their work through responses to each of 16 questions. Responses should be as concise as possible while describing your approaches to each question/element asked about and demonstrating your use in the field of each associated competency. High-level guidance—in number of paragraphs—is provided for each question, but the most important consideration is demonstration of the associated competencies in your response.  

A few examples of sufficient responses are provided in the “Competency Demonstration Examples” document available in the Resources tab on the left navigation menu of the TPM Verified TSC Manager course. This resource provides examples of successful application answers that fulfill the requirements of their associated competencies.

No. While all competencies listed are important, we recognize the need for flexibility in implementation of the TPM framework and methodologies as you determine next steps and priorities with your employers or internal team. Candidates must receive a “met” determination from the majority of reviewers (2 of 3) for at least 75% of the required competencies to meet the requirements for application approval. For more on scoring, see the “How are my application responses scored?” FAQ response.

The TPM Verified Talent Supply Chain Manager credential is meant to recognize an individual TPM Academy graduate’s success in utilizing the TPM strategies, approaches, and framework in the field to respond to employer needs, not to measure the ultimate success and outputs of an employer collaborative or internal employer team effort to build a talent pipeline. This credential designates an individual practitioner’s success in implementation. We are not asking you to recount the activities and/or relative success of the employers or internal team, unless those elements support your narrative about the role you played as a TPM Academy graduate and peer-reviewed credential candidate. This application—and the peer review process—will consider those flexibilities required of TPM’s employer-driven, customizable approach to solving complex talent challenges. You will be asked to describe how you navigated various decision points with your employer collaborative or internal team and generated consensus about next steps.

Application Submission + Review Process

Application responses are submitted through the TPM Co/Lab platform. To access the application, please visit https://colab.tpmacademy.org/ to log in or create an account. Once you are logged in, you will access the application by visiting the Course Catalog and clicking on “Existing TPM Academy Graduates.” Click on the course called “TPM Verified Talent Supply Chain Manager.”

The application is divided into multiple sections that detail instructions, prerequisite requirements, and various questions through which you will be asked to demonstrate application of thirty-two competencies through application responses. The application package (i.e., all application “modules” and required attachments) must be completed in full before submission.

This is up to you. While the application must be submitted through the TPM Co/Lab environment, the application is available to view on the TPMacademy.org website to help you prepare responses in advance of logging into TPM Co/Lab to submit your application.

If for any reason you require accommodations outside of the TPM Co/Lab application submission process or are having trouble using the system, please contact TPMlearning@uschamber.org

Mostly. As you move from one section of the application to the next, your work will be saved. However, we recommend that you save frequently. Any interruption while working on a single page/section of the application may result in loss of work, since advancing to the next page is what triggers TPM Co/Lab to save your work.

Yes. You can complete the application in segments, across multiple sittings. Be sure to save your work as you move through the application. We recommend that you save frequently, as any interruption while working on a single page/section of the application may result in loss of work, since advancing to the next page is what triggers TPM Co/Lab to save your work.

The application is available to view on the TPMacademy.org website to help you prepare responses in advance of logging into TPM Co/Lab to submit your application.

Yes. Be sure to save your work before going back to a previous screen, but your answers are not finalized until you submit your application package. Applicants are encouraged to adjust previously provided responses if they are repetitive/were included in responses to the wrong questions. This may be avoided by reviewing the application (or each section) in full before entering responses.

Applications will be reviewed twice a year as part of two yearly application cycles. 

Your application submission will be reviewed by three members of the Peer Review Advisory Committee. A recommendation by these qualified, trained peer reviewers will be presented to the U.S. Chamber Foundation team for final approval or denial. Determinations of credential issuance and communication of applicant status will be made within 60 calendar days of application cycle deadlines. All peer reviewers have been trained to review applications against a scoring sheet and discuss their recommendations with their full Peer Review Advisory Committee cohort (three reviewers). 

Applicants will be evaluated on their use of TPM competencies in the field, as demonstrated through narrative answers to the application questions. 

Competencies will be evaluated based on the following evaluation scale, averaged across peer reviewers:

Met – The candidate has provided sufficient evidence/explanation of required competency usage in the field.
Not Met/Need More DetailEither insufficient evidence/explanation of the required competency was provided and more explanation may be needed, or the efforts described are in direct conflict with the goals of TPM.

 

Candidates must receive a “met” determination from the majority of reviewers (2 of 3) for at least 75% of the required competencies to meet the requirements for application approval.

Your application submission will be reviewed by three members of the Peer Review Advisory Committee. A recommendation by these qualified, trained peer reviewers will be presented to the U.S. Chamber Foundation team for final approval or denial. Determinations of credential issuance and communication of applicant status will be made within 60 calendar days of application cycle deadlines.

Determinations of credential issuance and communication of applicant status will be made within 60 calendar days of application cycle deadlines.

If you have not met the application approval threshold of 75% of the 32 required competencies, the Peer Review Advisory Committee will allow 30 calendar days from notification to submit a modified application. Those items indicated as “Not Met/Need More Detail” will be provided by the peer reviewer cohort and the same peer reviewer cohort will review resubmissions. If your revised application still does not sufficiently address the review committee’s requests, you must wait to resubmit in a subsequent review cycle.

Submission Flexiblities

If you have launched and implemented multiple collaboratives—that represent varying industries, levels of success, and stages of maturity—you may represent practical application of the required competencies through narrative discussion of your work with multiple collaboratives. For example, you may discuss how you approached the demand planning process with your healthcare collaborative, but how you approached the back mapping process with your construction collaborative.

We recognize that there may be varying levels of success and clarity of implementation for each TPM strategy and want you to have the best opportunity to represent your work as you complete this application. Please be very clear in your responses for which collaborative you are responding, should you decide to demonstrate competency through multiple collaborative efforts.

All application responses must be submitted through the TPM Co/Lab environment. This will maintain consistency of process and quality of application submissions, as well as allow peer reviewers a streamlined process for application review and scoring. The application is available to view to help you prepare responses in advance of logging into TPM Co/Lab to submit your application by visiting the TPMacademy.org website.

Application Maintenance + Renewal

Recipients of the TPM Verified Talent Supply Chain Manager credential will be required to renew their credential every three years. This is meant to ensure that practitioners maintain active facilitation of TPM activities and/or continue professional development in topics associated with the TPM framework and methodologies.

Recipients of the TPM Verified Talent Supply Chain Manager credential will be required to renew their credential every three years. This is meant to ensure that practitioners maintain active facilitation of TPM activities and/or continue professional development in topics associated with the TPM framework and methodologies.

Applicants submitting for renewal must submit the following, as indicated in the renewal application:

  • Updated status regarding role, organization, and the extent to which the TPM framework and methodology are currently being applied in work
  • Evidence of at least three ongoing education/professional development activities associated with or akin to the TPM framework and methodology (e.g., NLN activities, specialty course enrollment, aligned education and training, curriculum refresher webinars, participation on relevant committees, etc.)
  • Completion of yearly TPM National Learning Network surveys to capture status, successes, etc.

Optional elements for submission (not required but helpful to U.S. Chamber Foundation and TPM National Learning Network efforts):

  • Submission of a success story or brief impact report, eligible formats of which will be provided by the U.S. Chamber Foundation as part of the renewal application
  • A sharable data and/or outcomes presentation (PPT or other format) that details the success of TPM efforts

For more information on renewal, please see the “TPM Verified Talent Supply Chain Manager Credential Standards” support resource, available in the Resources tab on the left navigation menu of the TPM Verified Talent Supply Chain Manager course. The relevant section is titled “Credential Term, Cycle, Maintenance, and Renewal.”

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