Tsunami & Hurricane Katrina Prompt New Certifications for Project Managers Working in Aid Agencies

HIGH WYCOMBE, England - APMG-International is proud to announce it has formed a partnership with LINGOs* PM4NGOs (Project Management for Non Governmental Organisations) to develop a new certification scheme: PMD Pro (Project Management in Development Professional). The partnership is introducing a new range of certifications for those working in development for charities, humanitarian agencies or not-for-profit organizations.

PM4NGOs was created in March 2007 by NGO (non governmental organisations) practitioner members of LINGOs and interested members of the Project Management Institute. Most people that work for a charity are project managers, they often have significant responsibility for life-affecting (sometimes life-saving) projects, large financial budgets, and even larger opportunity costs. They manage many different types of projects, usually with limited training in professional project management concepts common in the commercial sector. They believed that improving project management practices could have significant impact on the effectiveness of aid.

Eric Berg, CEO, LINGOs, said. “Media and public scrutiny of NGOs’ performance following the Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina caused many project management professionals from other sectors to question whether NGOs could be accountable or responsible stewards unless their project managers possessed the skills, and, arguably, certifications, which would be expected in other sectors for comparable levels of responsibility.”

A working group, comprising 12 well-known international NGOs, was established, partly supported and funded by PMI’s Educational Foundation and assisted by volunteers from the private sector. A survey of the working group indicated that between them, they employed around 15,000 project managers with annual project budgets of $4.74bn.

“Hence in just these 12 NGOs, a 1% improvement in effectiveness would yield an additional $47m to spend on projects per year. The impact in terms of quality improvement would be even higher,” Berg said.

PM4NGOs approached APMG-International, which is responsible for the PRINCE2 examinations and certifications, to see if APMG could offer its experience in running qualification schemes in the programme and project management disciplines.

Richard Pharro, CEO, APMG, said: “From the first meeting with PM4NGOs, we knew this was something we’d like to be involved with. Our experience in running accreditation schemes on behalf of OGC puts us in the ideal place to be able to help PM4NGOs. We are very excited about being able to make a difference where it counts, and have begun work on drawing up a new bespoke qualification scheme for NGOs who are involved with projects.”

Eric Berg said, “Most people that work for a charity are project managers. They manage many different types of projects, usually with limited training in professional project management concepts common in the commercial sector. After years of talking about developing exams for project management in the NGO/Non-profit industry, APMG is the first accreditation company EVER to step up and do something about it.’

APMG is creating a multilevel certification scheme. Examinations and training courses will be available on line. The Syllabi will be built around the current PM4NGO on line training course and will be available in a variety of languages. It is being drawn up with extensive input from PM4NGO members and will be discussed at two summit meetings in London, UK, and Washington DC in September 2009. Following feedback from the NGO community, the scheme is expected to be live in early 2010.

Further information

*About Learning for International NGOs (LINGOs):

LINGOs is a consortium of over 40 international humanitarian relief, development, conservation and health organizations that share learning resources and experiences. By providing the latest learning technologies and courses from our partners, LINGOs helps these non profits to increase the skill levels of their employees, and therefore increasing the impact of their programs.

www.lingos.org

About APMG International

APMG-International is a global examination institute accredited by The APM Group, OGC’s official Accreditor. Our portfolio of qualifications includes PRINCE2, MSP, MoR and P3O. Our Accredited Training Organisations have gone through the most rigorous assessment process in the industry. Our commitment to high standards means that all candidates can be assured the certification they have earned is consistent with every other candidate.

www.apmg-uk.com

About PM4NGOs

PM4NGOs aims to optimize international NGO project investments by enabling project managers to be reflective, professional practitioners who learn, operate and adapt effectively in complex project environments. As a group of international relief, development, and conservation organizations, PM4NGOs works together and collaborates with private sector companies, professional organizations, and universities to achieve this goal.

www.ngolearning.org

Source: APMG-International

Kate Winter, Telephone +44(0)1494-452-450, Email: kate.winter at apmgroup.co.uk