finchannel.com — BP, on behalf of its Oil and Gas Co-venturers, initiated and is funding the establishment of the Project Management College (PMC) in Georgia, in partnership with the Free University, the FINANCIAL reported today.
“BP has operated in Georgia since 1996 and has spent hundreds of millions of dollars with local Georgian companies. Effective project management – the skills, knowledge and ability to execute work efforts on time, within budget repeatedly – is a fundamental requirement for any successful business and partnership. Having recognised the long term business benefits that could be gained by developing a larger pool of local, talented project managers we wanted to take practical action and do something about it”, said Neil Dunn, BP Georgia General Manager at the Project Management College launch event, held on 23rd of February.
Through this initiative, both private and public sectors in Georgia will have access to an integrated, comprehensive program, focusing on the simultaneous goals of improving immediate project management performance and establishing long term project management capability in the country. To ensure high quality training, BP has contracted the world’s leading project management training and solutions company, ESI International.
The Minister of Economic Development, Lasha Zhvania, expressed his support to the programme: ” We look forward to seeing the Program achieve its full potential, creating a larger network of certified Project Managers in Georgia, and making substantial impact on business profitability and country’s economy, ensuring successful delivery of infrastructure projects, and improving the overall investment climate in Georgia.”
“Free University has always strived to provide opportunities life-long learning and continuous professional development to people willing to gain new knowledge and skills no matter what occupation they come from or what stage of their lives they are at. We are proud to partner with BP in building up a strong cohort of Georgian project managers and thus contribute to the development of country’s private and public sectors” stated Simon Kadagidze, Rector of the Free University.
The Project Management Programme consists of seven modules: Managing Projects, Project Leadership, Management and Communication, Risk Management, Scheduling and Cost Control, Quality for Project Managers, Project Management Applications, and Project Management Professional (PMP) Exam Preparation.
The PMC curriculum leads to two globally recognised certifications: the “Masters Certificate in Project Management”, awarded by the George Washington University (GWU), and the “PM Professional” certificate, awarded by the Project Management Institute (PMI).
Initially the language of the course will be English. The aim of the project is also to increase capacity of the local training institution, and in 2-3 years time local professionals will be trained by ESI International to carry out future class deliveries in Georgian language.
Free University was established in 2007. Today, Free University comprises three schools –Business School (ESM), Institute of Asia and Africa, and Law School, delivering academic programs at undergraduate, graduate and doctorate levels.
In addition, Free University conducts a wide array of short-term courses, runs several research centers and summer school programs. About 600 students attend Free University, of which 492 are enrolled in undergraduate programs, 88 are graduate students and 6 pursue doctorate studies.
Free University has broad network of partners, among them professional organizations such as Chartwell Education Group, Microsoft IT Academy, AIESEC, The European Federation of Schools (FEDE), and universities worldwide – Mosbach University of Cooperative Education, Montana University, University of Kairo, Xian Jiaotong University, to name the few.
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