Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE-For many professionals in the project management field, certification by the Project Management Institute (PMI) is key to career advancement. Preparing for this exam can be a daunting and time-consuming task, one that is often put aside as other commitments take precedence. In response to the growing need for a convenient, flexible exam preparation program, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville's Distance Learning Center has developed a non-credit online course specifically designed to assist students or current project managers prepare for PMI's Project Management Professional (PMP(r)) exam.

"PMP is the most widely recognized certification in the project management industry today," notes Bill Haskins, coordinator of UWP's online project management graduate degree program. "It's the benchmark for people in the profession."

Developed by UWP graduate instructors, the six-week online course is designed to review the fundamentals of project management. It is estimated that students will be spending 10-15 hours per week working on this course, which is specifically keyed to the requirements of the PMI exam. In addition to reviewing major project management topics, students will acquire an understanding of how questions are constructed, learn exam-taking techniques and become familiar with testing pitfalls to avoid. After successful completion of this course, students will receive 35 professional development units (PDU) from PMI. No previous degree is required to enroll in this non-credit course.

The instructor for the course is Jerry Perone, who has over 25 years of project management experience as a practitioner, consultant, speaker and trainer. A certified Project Management Professional since 1988, Perone is the president of The National Management Center, a project management consulting firm. He is also the author of Entrepreneur BootCamp, Project Management - The Ultimate Management System, and Rapid Assessment and Recovery of Troubled Projects. He is the host of 'Entreprenuer BootCamp' on WBZS Business News Radio and chair of the PMI Special Interest Group on Troubled Projects. He has addressed international project management conferences and currently is an online or campus instructor for ESI-International, George Washington University, ISIM University and the University of Wisconsin. Perone has trained over 5,000 professionals in project management worldwide since 1996.

Three six-week sessions of the PMP test preparation course have been scheduled, to begin on Sept. 27, Jan. 24, 2005 and June 13, 2005. For program information, visit http://www.uwplatt.edu/disted and click on "Certificates." For questions associated with registration and payment, contact Janet Harle, UWP Office of Continuing Education at 608-342-1314 or harle@uwplatt.edu. Companies wishing to schedule a customized timeframe in which to take the class should contact Bill Haskins, coordinator of the project management program at haskinsd@uwplatt.edu or 608-342-1597. A minimum of 15 people is needed to run a customized section of the course.

Contact: Bill Haskins, coordinator, Online Project Management Program, haskinsd@uwplatt.edu

Prepared by: Ellen McFall, mcfalle@uwplatt.edu