It’s that time of year again! The next two days we’ll be blogging from GovLoop and YGL’s Next Generation of Government Training Summit. Follow along @NextGenGov and read more blog posts here.
I attended a break-out session at yesterday’s NextGen Training Summit on “Project Management Best Practices.” This session was led by Paul Gregory, Vice Chancellor of the VA Acquisition Academy and Louisa Schaefer, PM Fellows Program Director at the VA Acquisition Academy.
Louisa gave a detailed overview of the new PM (Program Management) Fellows program at the VA Acquisition Academy. The first class of PM Fellows recently graduated in July. Many of the participants have already been promoted and assigned to VA projects. Participants gave the program a 98% satisfaction rating.
The VA Acquisition Academy’s PM Fellows Program provides participants with a unique professional development opportunity that brings participants quickly through entry and mid-level FAC P/PM certification standards while integrating leadership training, business skills, practical application exercises and real world project/program management experience all under the guidance of a coach and mentor.
One popular aspect of the PM (Program Management) Fellows experience is the incorporation of real projects from the participant’s home organization into the learning taking place in the classroom. The program fosters a collaborative knowledge sharing culture across the PM Fellows’ career fields, keeping them active in the PM Fellow community long after their time at the academy.
The PM Fellows program is a two-year cohort program which provides participants with PMP certification. It include 872 contact hours, which includes blended learning (classroom and self-directed), on-the-job experience, case studies, scenario-based group activities, coaching and mentoring, rotational assignments, and a knowledge collaboration site.
If you are interested in applying, send an e-mail to [email protected].
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