An ECITB-backed project management course for professionals in the oil and gas sector has launched in Aberdeen for the fourth consecutive year, with its highest number of participants to date.
Fifteen individuals from Bilfinger, CNOOC, Enpro Subsea, Muelhan, Oceaneering, OGA, Repsol Sinopec, Salamis, Subsea7, TechnipFMC, Total and Wood will take part in the annual Association for Project Management’s (APM) Registered Project Professional (RPP) project management course.
This year, the participants come from a wide range of positions within the oil and gas industry, including project advisors and project managers to senior project engineers and engineering services managers.
Supported by the ECITB, the RPP is a pan-sector standard for those who can demonstrate the capabilities of a responsible leader and who have the ability to manage a complex project using appropriate tools, processes and techniques.
Chris Claydon – ECITB Chief Executive
It was first run in the North East in 2015, when the ECITB’s Oil and Gas Project Management Steering Group (OPMSG) ran a pilot programme to raise minimum standards for project professionals across the sector. Since then, the number of applications has increased year on year.
Chris Claydon, Chief Executive of ECITB, said: ““The Registered Project Professional programme has been running successfully for four years. It is an excellent programme available to anyone, from any professional background or industry sector, with experience of managing others in a project environment.
“Those that successfully complete the programme will be able to demonstrate a depth of knowledge and understanding of project management which will further improve their project performance, as well as gain professional recognition.
“For employers, the RPP programme offers a tangible investment in their staff and ultimately will help them gain competitive advantage through better project delivery.”
Peter Benton, Director, Cephas Project Management Ltd, completed last year’s programme which he found, at times, to be demanding, but ultimately rewarding and worthwhile.
“I decided to apply for the programme because it was a chance to gain a qualification that is widely recognised as valuable within the project management community,” Peter said.
“In addition, with the APM’s Chartered Project Professional award about to be launched, gaining RPP represented an enormous leap toward achieving that status. During the programme, I had the opportunity to think more deeply about my career to date, and also to gain encouragement from that experience. I also appreciated learning from my fellow delegates and forming closer links with them.
“Since achieving RPP, I have found that I think differently about how I manage projects. I am more reflective and draw from a wider pool of resources, and I also gain more value from my past experience. I am more deliberate about my professional development, discerning better what needs focus and what value it will bring. It has also opened up new working opportunities and assignments, either directly or indirectly.
“I subsequently took the chance to apply for, and achieve, ChPP which has added further to these opportunities, and I have gone on to become a mentor for the OPMSG mentoring scheme, something into which I hope others will follow.”
