Advanced Professional Certificate in Construction Project Management

This short course in construction project management is designed for:

• Construction professionals who are trained within a design profession or in construction management (architects, structural engineers, designers, construction),
• or those who have three or more years’ experience in project management.

Its relevance is to those who want

• to become truly competent in Project Management, managing the process and lead the project team in a professional, skilled way
• to gain membership of the APM

We teach construction industry people how to run projects well. We send them out confident, competent, and well-informed. For years we described this as ‘a course’ and as professional development, but although this is correct so far as it goes, it is not really adequate as a description of what is gained, or of the process involved.

Everyone who joins is given individual attention, and the learning process is tailored to their experience and learning style. If writing essays is not your strong point, we will find another way for you to express yourself. If you are a manager in another field, and wish to move to construction, we will accommodate that. If you are a very visual person who flourishes in an environment where images dominate, we will show you how to harness that within management.

Most of us, as we develop, either be come more narrowly focussed as a specialist, or (more commonly) have to learn how to manage other disciplines, as well as our own. That is what project management is about.

Our aim is to teach you to become a successful project manager; taking time to instil competence from the start. We work with each individual to ensure that they master the learning and are able to apply it in practical situations which may be complex and demanding.

The distance learning course is structured in learning ‘Blocks’. Each Block runs for four to five weeks with weekly video conference calls, distance learning modules and team exercises.  At the end of the course you will have a firm foundation and sufficient depth of knowledge to have confidence in your understanding of project management. The overall length of study is four to five months. For the duration of the course tutors are available to help and guide you.

On satisfactory completion of each block you will be awarded a Certificate of Achievement.

During this short course in construction project management you will learn

• to set up a project
• to cope with complexity
• to interpret and manage the client’s aspirations and expectation
• to establish and lead the project team

You will be introduced to a range of tools that you can use to optimise the way your project runs, and manage it through uncertainties and contingencies. Our method is very practical. You will work in teams and you will be exposed to simulated situations which will test your performance and correct your approach; this is so that when you go back to your real work, you will have valuable experience which can be applied and enable you to lead with confidence and authority.

The distance learning course is structured into learning ‘Blocks’. Each Block runs for four to five weeks, with weekly video conference calls, distance learning modules and 'virtual' team exercises. At the end of each Block there is a case study to be completed.

Individual tutor support is available throughout the course. Comprehensive feedback is given after the submission of the assignments following each Block, highlighting areas that might need more work or improvement.

The course material, including the Project Management Handbook and Course Workbook, is online. Before the course you are asked to start reading and working through the Handbook and Workbook. During the taught sessions you will be put into a team and asked to carry out an exercise based on a case study. Following the taught session you are given an individual exercise to complete and submit. We allow four weeks for this and on satisfactory submission, you are awarded a Certificate of Achievement.

Block 1: Project Management - the Fundamental Processes

Deals with the fundamental processes such as procuring building work, programming or scheduling work according to time requirements, roles and responsibilities, project structures. It is a basic ‘how to do it’ course, which tackles the nuts and bolts of basic project management tools and processes.

Take-away: knowledge of the basic processes.

Block 2: Project Management Theory and Practice

Takes the learning on a stage, and fleshes out the skeleton. For instance, it adds questions of resources to the techniques of programming or scheduling and shows you how to tune your project to a higher level of performance. It includes sessions on managing the supply chain. It creates an understanding of how the team might pull together to multiply its effectiveness. It increases the scope of project management study.
Take-away: Increased depth of knowledge and the foundations of competence laid.

Block 3: Project Management Competence

This Block takes the learning on to a higher level and focuses on the further development, integration and application of the principles and tools learned in Blocks 1 & 2. Blocks 1-3, taken together, cover the syllabus of the APM’s PMQ and PPQ exams.
Case study: final assessed assignment
Take away: considerably enhanced competence

Block 4: Exam Preparation

This is a one day exam revision and  preparation session for those wishing to take the APM PPQ or PMQ exams.   It also covers the application process for the Chartered Project Professional standard (ChPP).   The tutors will be available to advise and support students throughout the revision period and help is given on how to compose the application to the APM.