The Project Management Professional (PMP) is a credential offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). The credential is the single most important industry-recognized certification for project managers. It is so important because it shows employers and potential employers that you have all of the education, experience and competency that is necessary to manage projects for them. Typically, having this credential leads to greater high-salary opportunities and gives you a leg up when marketing yourself in a job market that is increasingly saturated with people who claim to be adept project managers.
Options for Finding a PMP Program
Plenty of organizations purport to offer preparatory training for the PMP credential, making it difficult to distinguish which ones are worth your time and money and which ones are simply out to take your time and money without giving you much in return. Before starting your search for an institute that offers training, you have to decide whether you have time to go into a classroom setting or if an online course is best. Generally speaking, online courses are much more variable in quality, though there are some stellar programs. Classroom-based courses obviously take a greater commitment on your part and may not be appropriate if you’re a full-time employee. However, these classes are usually more comprehensive and offer better outcomes, on average.
Costs
The cost of attending a PMP certification training course is another variable to consider. Again, costs vary widely depending on length, whether the course is virtual and reputation of the program. The most expensive programs aren’t necessarily the best, but it’s not a bad idea to be wary of programs that seem significantly less expensive than others.
Employer-based PMP Training
Finally, if you are employed, you might consider discussing the possibility of bringing in an organization to train you and your coworkers at the office. The cost of this for an employer can be significant, but the payoff exists in the greater productivity and efficiency among project managers that come with learning more technical skills about project management. Finding an organization that offers this kind of training is simple for your employer; PMI will post requests for proposal that it receives to interested parties. In this way, not much effort needs to be expended by your employer in searching out a suitable trainer.
Finding a Certified Training Organization
After making all of these decisions, you still face the pitfall of not knowing whether an organization offering training is reputable or not. Online reviews can be helpful but are often written by individuals who work for the organization and are only pretending to be customers. Luckily, the Project Management Institute makes finding a course much easier than it otherwise would be because it maintains a list of organizations that it considers to be Registered Education Providers (REPs). REPs are organizations that PMI has approved for both PMP exam training and continuing project management education. These organizations must meet a number of prerequisites before they are considered potential REPs. Among these prerequisites are the following: The organization must demonstrate alignment with PMI, the courses must be current and aligned with PMI standards and the focus of courses must be on learning outcomes. The wonderful thing about these prerequisites is that PMI gives organizations who are seeking REP status wide latitude in deciding how they will fulfill them. Because PMI recognizes that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all program, you can find an REP that suits your interests and needs and is appropriate for your management context.
Conclusion
Though the prerequisites to become an REP are rather rigorous, having status as an REP is truly the only way that you can ensure that the training that you are receiving will adequately prepare you for the PMP exam. Besides, there are still more than 1,600 REPs all around the world in more than 80 countries. REPS include commercial trainers, colleges and universities, corporations and government agencies, meaning that your options are nearly endless. With such a wealth of opportunities right at your fingertips, the only thing preventing you from signing up to take PMP training courses is your own motivation.
This article gives advice about choosing an institute to teach PMP certification preparatory courses and was authored by Evie Coles. Her favorite site is velopi.com.
