How to Become a Production Lead?

Though not always required, it's best to have a minimum of a bachelor's degree to become a production manager. Pursue a degree in a related field, such as business administration, manufacturing management, supply chain management, manufacturing engineering, or industrial engineering. It's best to complete coursework in management, accounting, marketing, production analysis, supply chain management, statistics, and computer-aided design to gain a well-rounded education for work in this field.

Some students may elect to continue their education through to a master's degree. An MBA in production and operations management is the most appropriate degree for this line of work.

Your career path toward a job as a production manager may begin at the bottom with a job as a production worker. After gaining experience as a production worker, you would typically advance to a supervisory position. Supervisors who demonstrate their skills in leadership, communication, time management, problem-solving, and efficiency are well-positioned for a promotion to the role of production manager.

With a college education, you may be able to enter the field as a supervisor without first working on the production line. However, if you choose to pursue your education and work experience concurrently, you may find that your employer will reimburse you for some of your educational expenses. For this reason, many prospective production managers choose to start in entry-level roles and gain hands-on experience and a degree at the same time.

You can increase your employability as a production manager by pursuing professional certification for this position. The American Society for Quality provides a Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence certification. To qualify for this certification, you must pass a multiple-choice exam and have at least 10 years of relevant on-the-job experience, five of which are in a decision-making position. You can waive one year with a diploma from a technical or trade school, two years with an associate degree, four years with a bachelor's degree, and five years with a master's degree or doctorate.

The Association for Supply Chain Management (APICS) offers certification in planning and inventory management (CPIM). For this designation, you must pass two exams within three years of one another. The required information for these tests is available through the APICS CPIM Learning System. This learning system includes easily digestible content segments, informative videos, quizzes, and activities to help you prepare for the exams.