Advancing Careers of PM Professionals with Project Management Training Courses

Project management is increasingly popular area of study for young professionals, with several reputable organizations providing project management training courses that are recognized worldwide. By obtaining a project management professional certification, project managers are able to apply their skills in a fast developing field of expertise, where motivated and qualified experts are in high demand. Those interested in a professional career in project management can apply to a project management training institute that issues widely accepted professional certificates, with most of these institutes offering online training courses.

Scholars agree that the Project Management Framework consists of the following five major project management process groups: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing. These project management process groups are closely related to each other and interact in different ways within a complex framework encompassing interdependent processes. Thus, project management professional certification opens the gates to a career within various industries where project management is essential element of an overall business development strategy.

Project management principles and techniques are applied in virtually every field, therefore certified project managers are able to pursues a career in the business sector, or develop their skills working for a government agency or non-government organization. Many self-employed project managers attend training courses to obtain an internationally accepted certificate that allows them to seek customers worldwide, while a good number of enterprises require their project managers to be certified by a project management training institute of good reputation.

Applicants for project management certification are usually required to verify a high school diploma and extensive project management experience of up to 5 years in one of the process groups. Alternatively, the candidates are allowed to verify a bachelor’s degree and some 3 years of experience in the field of project management. Some organizations issuing project management certificates also require candidates to attend or verify completed classes in project management.

Training and certification organizations offer credentials to certified professionals that vary from institute to institute, as well as the overall cost of exams, training courses and qualification certificates issued. For example, the Association for Project Management (APM), based in the United Kingdom, offers five types of qualifications: APM Introductory Certificate, APMP, Practitioner Qualification, Certificated Project Manager, and APM Project Risk Management Certificates. The U.S.-based Project Management Institute (PMI) also offers internationally accepted certificates, with credentials in the following qualifications: CAPM Certified Associate in Project Management, PMP Project Management Professional, PMI-RMP PMI Risk Management Professional, PMI-SP PMI Scheduling Professional, and PgMP Program Management Professional. Other reputable organizations also accept eligible candidates to be certified as project managers, with exam fees ranging from $100 to $600 depending on the certification level.

Attending project management training courses and obtaining an internationally accepted certification is not mandatory for project management professionals but being a certified project manager is considered a major advantage by a growing number of private and government organizations.