UNB, PMI Project Management Partnership Big Boost For Students Building A Career Here
A new partnership between two of the most important institutions in New Brunswick’s project management ecosystem could mean big things for the profession in the province. It will also give students, international and local, important skills and connections to build a successful career here.
The UNB Saint John MBA program and the Project Management Institute New Brunswick chapter (PMI-NB) have brought their longstanding relationship “to the next level” with a formal agreement that will make it easier for students to get certification and mentorship from PMI.
The formal partnership means students of the MBA Program at UNB Saint John now have a direct path to PMI certification by completing the program’s project management stream.
PMI requires 35 hours of project management education before you can challenge its Project Management Professional certification.
Lenny Qian, the past president of PMI in New Brunswick, explains the courses students take as part of UNB Saint John’s MBA project management stream now count toward those 35 hours. That means students who complete the program can walk out of the classroom ready to challenge the exam.
Qian says the professional value of that certification can’t be understated.
PMI is the world’s leading association for project managers, with more than 600,000 members across the globe. Its Project Management Professional Certification is globally recognized, which means certification holders never have to worry about recertifying when they relocate.
“The PMI certification proves to employers that you have the specific skills and experience they’re looking for,” Qian says. Certified PMPs report earning as much as 25 percent more than their non-certified colleagues.
“I’m a grad of the MBA program on the Saint John campus, so it makes me really excited to think UNB Saint John students are getting this clear, simple path to achieving this certification,” Qian says.
But Qian says the UNB Saint John MBA and PMI partnership is beneficial far beyond the PMP certification. He says the close relationship helps UNB Saint John students make meaningful connections with leaders in the profession, as well as companies eager to hire fresh talent.
Students have access to a suite of PMI events, including lunch and learns, professional development conferences, social networking events, and study groups.
“I would say it’s very valuable because it helps you make the connections to the local community, to the professional community, and also provides all kinds of professional development opportunities,” Qian says.
Qian and others at PMI even take on official mentorship roles to UNB students.
“That help, building the relationships and getting them more familiar with everything here, in life, in their studies, all kinds of things, is so important,” he says.
The relationship between PMI-NB and UNB Saint John’s MBA program shines particularly bright when it comes to the business consulting program. Part of the UNB and PMI partnership is the development of a program that places students in business consulting projects with PMI-NB sponsors, partners, and other associated organizations.
PMI-NB will actively promote the internship program among its network, opening major opportunities for students to bank experience with big firms and create future opportunities for themselves.
“Career-wise, the networking side of things is a big help,” says PMI-NB president Darren Brown.
Brown also points out that many students have such a good experience with PMI-NB that they come back as board members or mentors after they graduate.
He says the fact that so many former grads now have a hand in shaping the organization is proof of the strength of UNB Saint John’s MBA program and its partnership with PMI-NB.
Having that relationship strengthened with a formal agreement, he says, should entice even more firms to hire graduates of the UNB MBA’s Saint John campus project management stream, and also sign on as internship partners.
“There are very talented grads coming out of that program and we need to do everything we can to keep them here in New Brunswick,” he says.
This story is sponsored by the MBA program at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John.