PPM News

15 March 2016

A project management book that has been used on the Programme in Project Management (PPM) since 2003 has now been revised and delegates on PPM 1 and Weekender 1 project management courses have already received their copies.

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23 July 2014

A tailored version of this Project Management course has been presented in-house for a JSE-listed construction company since 2007. The seventh and largest to date of these in-house courses drew to a close on 6 June 2014 with the delegates presenting to the panel their chosen group Action Learning Projects. This is the highlight of what the company describes as a very tough but exciting programme. These presentations integrate theoretical project management practices (which have been studied over the past 4 blocks) into practical application directly related to company-specific projects.

During the event seven syndicates each presented a project plan. The panel that evaluated the project plans was comprised of six members of senior management and two faculty members of the University of Pretoria: Prof Herman Steyn and Dr Giel Bekker. Aspects of the project plans that were evaluated, included Background, Scope, Time, Cost, Risk, Quality, Human Resources, Communications, Procurement, Integration and Presentation.

A central theme that was pointed out by panel members is that each project is an opportunity to learn and knowledge management must receive the necessary attention. Close-out meetings at the end of each project phase can contribute to this objective.

Final remarks were made by Dr Bekker of the University of Pretoria who praised the delegates for their hard work on the program.
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09 April 2013

“One-fifth of the world’s GDP, or more than $12 trillion, is spent on projects. And with many skilled practitioners leaving or scheduled to leave the workforce due to retirement — a trend the Society of Human Resources (SHRM) identifies as having a major strategic impact for 64% of organizations worldwide — there is a great demand for knowledgeable project managers. When these opportunities arise, certification helps make sure that you’ll be ready.” Project Management Institute

The ever popular Programme in Project Management (PPM) has received international interest from as far afield as Denmark, Mexico and the Netherlands. CE at UP and Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM), a registered education provider of the Project Management Institute (PMI) in the USA, have been offering the course since 1997.
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09 April 2013

“The face of education is dramatically changing and knowledge is becoming more important to lead people and to influence people…” - Professor Roelf Sandenbergh, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology.

The GSTM and CE at UP celebrated the achievements of their 2012 delegates at an auspicious certificate handover ceremony. The formalities took place on 8 March 2013 at the recently renovated Aula on the University’s picturesque Hatfield campus.

Approximately 130 delegates who attended the Programme in Project Management (PPM), Advanced Programme in Project Management (APPM), Programme in Logistics, Programme in Engineering Management (PEM), Programme in Maintenance Management (PMM) and Programme in Asset and Maintenance Management (PAMM) were pleased to have received their certificates of completion from the University.
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29 November 2012

L-R Daniel Guambe, Luis Amado, Helder Gimo, Vagner Languene

Some 225 delegates congregated at the CSIR on Thursday 29 November for the Graduate School of Technology Management’s biannual Certificate Ceremony. The hard work and dedication of delegates who attended various Programmes in Project Management (PPM) and Advanced Programme in Project Management (APPM) events during 2011 and 2012 was acknowledged at the Ceremony.

The aim of the Project Management courses, presented by the University of Pretoria and Continuing Education at University of Pretoria (CEatUP), in conjunction with the Project Management Institute (PMI), is to provide ‘globally recognized credentials that certify project management expertise, and resources for professional development, networking and community.’ Sarel Coetzee and Ethel Saayman, PPM delegates from Eskom, remarked on the excellently presented Legal Aspects for Project Managers, and Project Quality Management modules.
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15 March 2012

The 100th intake of the most popular project management training in SA - the Programme in Project Management (PPM) was successfully completed and the delegates graduated on 15 March 2012.

The Birth of the Project Management Programme at CE at UP

Way back in the 1970s Project Management was taught in the Department of Civil Engineering. The Chair in Engineering Management at TUKS, created in 1987, became a fully fledged Department of Engineering and Technology Management by 1994. So, it all started here at the Faculty of Engineering; Built Environment and Information Technology (EBIT) in the 1990s, when the Laboratory for Advanced Engineering saw the need to offer short courses aimed at developing the project management skills of practitioners. Unbeknown to them, several other faculties were also interacting with industry about continuing education across a variety of disciplines, yet no-one really knew of one another.

At EBIT, the early short courses carried no certification, but as industry demonstrated a growing demand for formal assessment and acknowledgment of their delegates’ progress, a process of certification was put in place. One of the first certified programmes was offered by Professor Antonie de Klerk, later to play a major role in the establishment of Continuing Education at University of Pretoria (CE at UP). He introduced a Programme in Engineering Management (PEM) about a year before the now famous Programme in Project Management (PPM) was first introduced.

A series of discussions followed, which resulted in the appointment of Professor Herman Steyn. Prior to Herman’s appointment Professor De Klerk had already broached the idea of meeting the demand for certified short courses in their discussions.
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15 March 2012

The Annual GSTM Certificate Ceremony was held on 15 March 2012 at the CSIR in Pretoria, South Africa. Delegates who attended the Programme in Project Management, Advanced Programme in Project Management, Programme in Engineering Management, Programme in Maintenance and Asset Management, Programme in Maintenance Management as well as Programme in Logistics received their certificates of completion at the ceremony.

The ceremony, which served as an acknowledgement of the delegates’ achievement of completing the respective courses, welcomed Mr Beeuwen Gerryts (Acting Chief Director: Technology Localisation and Advanced Manufacturing at the Department of Science and Technology) as the guest speaker, as well as Professor Tinus Pretorius, Chair of Graduate School of Technology Management and Professor Roelf Sandenbergh, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology.
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