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ADVANCED INSTITUTE FOR SUPPLY CHAIN RESEARCH (AISCR)

Vocational Training Centre of AISCR (VTC-AISCR)

Prepared for submission to the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training (MINEFOP), Republic of Cameroon

AISCR L2-G — ADVANCED PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE

HUMANITARIAN LOGISTICS AND EMERGENCY SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

Advanced Institute for Supply Chain Research (AISCR)

Course Description

Provides a comprehensive, competency-based understanding of humanitarian logistics and emergency supply chain management. Equips participants with the knowledge and practical skills required to plan and manage emergency procurement, coordinate disaster relief operations within international humanitarian coordination structures, manage warehousing, fleet and last-mile distribution in difficult operating environments, and meet donor compliance and accountability obligations.

Course Duration and Credits

Specification Details
Qualification Level Level 2 (Advanced Professional Certificate), AISCR-NPQF
Duration 6 Months, delivered on a blended basis with guided self-directed study
Compulsory Core 5 units, 17 contact days, 27 Credits
Elective Requirement Choose 1 unit(s) from a pool of 2, worth 6–6 additional Credits
Total Credits 33–33 Credits, within AISCR's standardised 30–40-Credit band for Level 2 Advanced Professional Certificates
Entry Requirements GCE Advanced Level / Baccalaureate or equivalent, or admission by Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in accordance with the AISCR Admissions Policy
Delivery Mode Blended — in-person or virtual contact days combined with guided self-directed study, delivered in English and French
Award AISCR Advanced Professional Certificate in Humanitarian Logistics and Emergency Supply Chain Management

Course Outline

A Compulsory Core of five newly developed AISCR Level 1 modules (flagged below, pending Academic Board approval), created because no existing Level 1 modules in AISCR's catalogue addressed humanitarian and emergency logistics. A single elective, drawn from AISCR's cross-cutting Family F business-skills modules, brings the qualification within AISCR's standardised 30–40-Credit band.

Compulsory Core Units

Core Unit 1 (G1): FOUNDATIONS OF HUMANITARIAN LOGISTICS + Click to expand Duration: 3 contact days | Credits: 5 | Notional Learning Hours: 50 — newly developed AISCR Level 1 module (pending Academic Board approval)

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this unit, learners will be able to:

  • Explain the principles and phases of the humanitarian programme cycle and their logistics implications.
  • Describe the international humanitarian coordination architecture, including the cluster system.
  • Differentiate humanitarian logistics from commercial and public-sector logistics.
  • Apply core humanitarian principles — humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence — to logistics decision-making.
  • Identify the roles of UN agencies, international NGOs, donors and host governments in humanitarian supply chains.
  • Apply the Core Humanitarian Standard to logistics and supply chain functions.
Core Unit 2 (G2): EMERGENCY PROCUREMENT AND RAPID-RESPONSE SOURCING + Click to expand Duration: 4 contact days | Credits: 6 | Notional Learning Hours: 60 — newly developed AISCR Level 1 module (pending Academic Board approval)

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this unit, learners will be able to:

  • Apply expedited procurement procedures appropriate to sudden-onset emergencies.
  • Pre-position emergency stock and framework agreements ahead of anticipated crises.
  • Apply donor-specific procurement rules common to major humanitarian funders.
  • Manage supplier due diligence and anti-fraud safeguards under time pressure.
  • Apply local and regional sourcing strategies to reduce lead times.
  • Document procurement decisions to withstand post-emergency audit and donor review.
Core Unit 3 (G3): DISASTER RELIEF SUPPLY CHAIN COORDINATION AND THE CLUSTER SYSTEM + Click to expand Duration: 3 contact days | Credits: 5 | Notional Learning Hours: 50 — newly developed AISCR Level 1 module (pending Academic Board approval)

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this unit, learners will be able to:

  • Describe the roles and coordination mechanisms of the Logistics Cluster and related clusters.
  • Coordinate supply chain activities across multiple humanitarian actors operating in the same response.
  • Apply information-sharing and common-services principles in a multi-agency response.
  • Identify bottlenecks in cross-border and cross-agency humanitarian supply chains.
  • Support joint needs assessments that inform supply chain planning.
  • Apply conflict-sensitivity and do-no-harm principles to logistics coordination.
Core Unit 4 (G4): WAREHOUSING, FLEET AND LAST-MILE DISTRIBUTION IN HUMANITARIAN CONTEXTS + Click to expand Duration: 4 contact days | Credits: 6 | Notional Learning Hours: 60 — newly developed AISCR Level 1 module (pending Academic Board approval)

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this unit, learners will be able to:

  • Establish temporary and mobile warehousing in resource-constrained environments.
  • Manage fleet operations, including security and access considerations, in insecure or hard-to-reach areas.
  • Plan last-mile distribution to affected populations, including registration and verification processes.
  • Apply commodity tracking and loss-prevention measures appropriate to humanitarian settings.
  • Manage cold-chain and perishable-commodity distribution in low-infrastructure environments.
  • Apply security risk-management principles to logistics operations in volatile contexts.
Core Unit 5 (G5): HUMANITARIAN ACCOUNTABILITY, DONOR COMPLIANCE AND REPORTING + Click to expand Duration: 3 contact days | Credits: 5 | Notional Learning Hours: 50 — newly developed AISCR Level 1 module (pending Academic Board approval)

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this unit, learners will be able to:

  • Apply donor compliance requirements common to major humanitarian and development funders.
  • Prepare supply chain narrative and financial reports for donor submission.
  • Apply beneficiary accountability and complaints-handling mechanisms relevant to logistics operations.
  • Conduct post-distribution monitoring relevant to supply chain performance.
  • Prepare for and support external audits of humanitarian supply chain operations.
  • Apply lessons-learned and after-action review processes to improve future responses.

Elective Units — Choose 1 of 2

Learners choose one of the following two AISCR cross-cutting business-skills units:

Elective Option 1 (F1): FINANCIAL AND COST MANAGEMENT FOR PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLY CHAIN PROFESSIONALS + Click to expand Duration: 4 contact days | Credits: 6 | Notional Learning Hours: 60

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this unit, learners will be able to:

  • Apply Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) analysis to a sourcing decision.
  • Prepare basic cost and budget estimates for a procurement requirement.
  • Apply should-cost modelling to a supplier quotation.
  • Interpret basic financial statements relevant to supplier evaluation.
  • Apply cost-benefit analysis techniques to a procurement decision.
  • Build a simple business case with cost justification.
Elective Option 2 (F2): PROJECT MANAGEMENT FUNDAMENTALS FOR SUPPLY CHAIN AND PROCUREMENT + Click to expand Duration: 4 contact days | Credits: 6 | Notional Learning Hours: 60

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this unit, learners will be able to:

  • Apply the basic project management lifecycle to a work assignment.
  • Develop a simple project schedule and work breakdown structure (WBS).
  • Identify and manage basic project risks.
  • Track project progress against a plan.
  • Identify and communicate with project stakeholders.
  • Manage scope and change, and apply lessons learned at project closure.

Assessment and Evaluation

Formative Assessment

  • Class participation and attendance (minimum 80% attendance required).
  • Weekly/unit quizzes.
  • Individual assignments.
  • Case study analysis.
  • Practical exercises and simulations relevant to each unit.
  • Portfolio of Evidence (PoE) documenting achievement of each unit's Learning Objectives, including elected units.

Summative Assessment

Conducted at the end of the training programme to evaluate learners' overall achievement of the course outcomes.

  • Group project and presentation.
  • Applied Humanitarian Logistics Project — design of an emergency response supply chain plan, including procurement, distribution and donor reporting components, for a realistic disaster scenario.
  • Final written examination.

Learning Resources

Recommended Textbooks

  • Humanitarian Logistics: Meeting the Challenge of Preparing for and Responding to Disasters — Martin Christopher and Peter Tatham (eds.).
  • The Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response — Sphere Association.
  • Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability — CHS Alliance, Group URD and the Sphere Project.
  • Introduction to International Disaster Management — Damon P. Coppola.
  • Logistics Operational Guide (LOG) — World Food Programme (WFP) Logistics Cluster.
  • Humanitarian Logistics Association and Fritz Institute research publications.

Supplementary Resources

  • Case studies, including AISCR field material from Central and West African humanitarian responses.
  • UNHCR, WFP and IFRC logistics and supply chain guidance materials.
  • Sample pre-positioning plans and donor compliance checklists.

Delivery Methods

  • Onsite Training: face-to-face lectures, practical sessions and hands-on training.
  • Online Training: virtual classrooms, webinars, interactive modules and online assessments.

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