Project Management Courses: Ideal for Natural Leaders

If you plan on attending Project Management courses, you should already possess or be willing to learn: financial management skills, good communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills, excellent business management and developmental skills, leadership qualities, efficient team management skills, the ability to resolve conflicting situations, computer or technical knowledge as well as effective problem solving skills.

That’s because Project Managers are in high demand with today’s unstable economy and are responsible for planning projects and seeing that they are successfully completed within a given deadline. These people assign specific roles to all the team members, supervise the team’s daily work and ensure everybody is working efficiently, ensure projects are completed within the estimated budget, conduct follow-up meetings on a regular basis and more.

At Centennial College, students can attend Project Management courses that are geared at mature students, take only three semesters to complete and result in an Ontario College Graduate Certificate. Applicants are required to submit an official transcript that demonstrates proof of successful completion of a post-secondary advanced diploma or degree program. Additional non-academic requirements include an interview, transcript and resume review. The School will consider applicants presenting a combination of education and relevant work experience, open to all disciplines.

Once accepted, students attend Project Management courses that are based on the popular Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) methodology, which is a collection of processes and knowledge areas that are generally accepted as best practice within the project management discipline. In addition, students use leading-edge project management tools, technologies and best practices to become comfortable prior to graduation. To balance theoretical learning, the Project Management courses also include hands-on integration of technology tools such as Microsoft Project and leading-edge industry case studies with a focus on organizational leadership. Among specific Project Management courses are: Project Leadership, Project Planning and Scheduling, Project Management Tools and Applications, Project Risk and Quality Management and more.

As a final step prior to completion of the Project Management courses, students attend a field placement called Experiential Learning Opportunity. Lasting 12 weeks, students take instruction and direction from their employer regarding the tasks they perform while at work. Throughout the work term, a faculty member monitors each student. This Project Management course facilitates sharing of experiences during the internship in a safe and encouraging environment and helps students to structure their experiences into a portfolio.

Once students complete Centennial College’s Project Management courses, they are prepared to write the PMP certification exam, provided they meet eligibility criteria. They also have the opportunity to work towards the PMI’s Certified Assistant in Project Management (CAPM) designation, a valuable entry-level certification for project practitioners.  Upon entering the field, these professionals develop careers as: Project Managers (in health, engineering, computer, new media, advertising, marketing, financial, education, transportation, construction, etc.), Project Leaders, Process Development Analysts or Global Project Managers.