PMI Partners With Black Diamond Charities To Help Veterans Succeed.
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) March 06, 2015 -- Project management is a natural fit for many veterans due to the structured nature of project management and their military careers. Transitioning to civilian life can be challenging and this“Veterans Program” which is being funded by charitable contributions provides students with the opportunity to identify some of the project management skills they already have and how those skills may apply to jobs they are pursuing. Participants are exposed to the basics of Project Management including building a project team, determining the needs and expectations of stakeholders, project schedules, developing cost estimates and budgets, and managing project risks. Participants are expected to work in project teams of six to eight to work on the project and present to a management board for funding.
The program includes certification of instructors by Black Diamond Services which is a Registered Education Provider of PMI. The program also includes volunteer mentors who provide after class guidance and an avenue of follow-up communications to the students. “One of BDC’s missions is to provide skill enhancement training to Armed Forces Veterans, particularly those transitioning from the military”, says Dawn Bluemke of BDC.
Previous Project Management classes have been provided at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. Black Diamond Project Management Instructors Bill Flanagan and John Keane developed this class and teach this course with ten other project managers who volunteer as instructors. To date, about 250 soldiers and airmen have been in attendance for these sessions. Upon completion of the course, certificates are awarded to each student. The plan for the project is to have two to three training courses in 2015 with a goal of training 100 veterans by the end of the year. The current training rate is on target with ten students trained in October and twenty-eight enrollees in the current class. The first round of classes provided in the greater Chicagoland area was completed in October 2014 and graduated ten veterans, five of whom have already found jobs in the civilian sector.
Kevin Cruz, one of the initial graduates said “I was approached by a former classmate regarding the project management program. I had little knowledge of project management prior to the class and I did not know what to expect other than the course was designed for veterans and I was hoping it could help me professionally. I learned how much some of the things I did in the military were related to project management.”
“Not only did I learn about project management but I was able to network with key people. Also, the program offers mentorships. More opportunities opened up to me as a result of taking the class and I had multiple job offers at the same time. I recommended the class to some of my co-workers who are enrolled in the February class.”
Further information can be obtained at the Black Diamond Charities website http://www.blackdiamondcharities.org/ or the PMI Chicagoland Chapter website http://pmi-chicagoland.org . To register, please contact Dawn Bluemke of Black Diamond Charities to confirm veteran status and class availability.
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Contact Information: Dawn Bluemke
Email Address: dawnbluemke(at)blackdiamondcharities(dot)org
Erik Jensen, PMI Chicagoland Chapter, http://www.pmi-chicagoland.org, +1 (773) 860-4444, [email protected]
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