PPM News

23 November 2017

From left to right: Ms Anneli Delport, Prof Tinus Pretorius, Dr Taryn Barnard, Mr Corro van Waveren, Dr Lynn Keeys, Dr Dolf Steyn, Prof Herman Steyn, Dr Jean Cooper.

26 October 2017

The Graduate School of Technology Management has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Project Management Institute South Africa Chapter to promote the advancement of the art, science and benefit of project management as a profession. The collaboration will support the professional growth of the GSTM’s Project Management alumni and the development of the project management profession in South Africa.

As a PMI registered education provider the GSTM regularly offers professional development courses in project management through Enterprises at UP. Most notably, international certification courses for the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) and Project Management Professional (PMP). The GSTM looks forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with PMI SA.

07 September 2017

On Friday 31 August, a function was held to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the Programme in Project Management (PPM) – a continuing education course to develop practical project managers. A number of clients that regularly send their employees on the course, and several other stakeholders attended.

The course is a joint venture between the Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM), University of Pretoria and Enterprises University of Pretoria. These two organizational units also celebrated the two decades of successfully collaborating on the course.

After welcoming drinks and starters, the Programme Manager Ms Bontle More, introduced Prof Birgit Kuschke, one of the lecturers who has been teaching this course since 1997. Prof Kuschke gave a historic overview of the programme: 20 years, 154 intakes and more than 7000 students/delegates. She acknowledged the lecturers as seasoned practitioners with sound academic credentials. She also explained the role that the PPM played in the establishment of the Masters’ in Project Management (MPM) at the University and how the MPM, in turn, led to several PhDs and subsequently to the publication of several project management papers.
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18 July 2017

On 31 August 1997 the practical 20-day project management course, the Programme in Project Management (PPM) was launched. Since then, this programme has been presented a total of 154 times and well over 7000 people have already benefitted from the course. This arguably makes it the best-known project management course in South Africa.

While the responsibility for the academic content of the project management course is with the Graduate School of Technology Management of the University of Pretoria, course arrangements are facilitated by the Enterprises company (the continuing education platform of the University).

Unlike the post-graduate programmes of the University that focus on both practical and theoretical aspects, the focus of the PPM is on the development of practical project management skills in the workplace. It includes several practical assignments that are performed in the place of work (e.g. the development of project plans, risk management plans, etc.) that attendees do, each in his or her specific work environment. The programme is suitable not only for engineers, but also for individuals involved in or interested in projects in any other environment.
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23 June 2017

An example of successful industry-university collaboration

In December 2006, one of South Africa’s leading construction and engineering companies, Group 5, invited proposals for project management training from several training providers. After rigorous assessment of the proposals received, the company selected the Graduate School of Technology Management of the University of Pretoria to assist with the furthering of the project management discipline within the group and its subsidiaries. The course had to be a customized version of the Programme in Project Management (PPM) that had already been running successfully since 1997.
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06 February 2017

The new year started well for this popular project management course: The 151^st intake of the PPM kicked off on Monday 30 January with 44 delegates. The first module was, as always, Project Management Practices, Principles and Scheduling. The 152^nd intake is the Weekender (presented on 8 Fridays and 8 Saturdays) that is scheduled to start on Friday 10 February.

The next 20-day (4 blocks of 5 days each over 6 months or more) is scheduled to start on Monday 8 May.

In the meantime, courses that started in 2016 and that have not yet been completed, also resumed; starting with Legal Aspects for Project Managers on 23 January and Financial Principles and Project Cost Management on 26 January – both on PPM 4 of 2016. Weekender 2 of 2016 started on 23 January with The People-side of Project Management.

Applicants to these practical project management courses are admitted on the basis that those whose payments are in order first, are get preference. Once a course is fully booked, later applications are referred to a later intake.

29 July 2016

The department responsible for the academic content of the Programme in Project Management, the GSTM (Graduate School of Technology Management), has been a Registered Education Provider of the USA-based Project Management Institute (PMI) for well over a decade. The Department has now obtained a “Premium Level” intellectual property licence as PMI Registered Education Provider. One implication is that lecturers on project management courses, presented by the department (both continuing education courses and degree programs), are now allowed to use, under the new licence, more of the PMBOK (A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge) material on their project management courses.

Several courses taught by the department are largely based on the PMBOK. The department also offers a PMI PMP Exam Prep course that enables project managers to be certified as Project Management Professionals. (The next course is scheduled for 17 to 19 October 2016).
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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 recognised 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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