Anne Isotalo, Director of Fennia Project Office, has been a project professional for decades. She is also one of a couple of dozen Finns who have completed the IPMA® A-certification in project portfolio management.
– There is no preparatory qualification for a project manager’s job, like for a doctor or a lawyer. Anyone can say they are a project manager. Project management certificates are a way of demonstrating your skills and expertise,” says Isotalo.
Why certified?
Isotalo describes the certification as a way of increasing personal capital. For example, certification is useful when looking for a job. It makes it easier for an employer to trust an applicant who has the credentials of a certified project professional in his or her pocket. Certified professionals are also a competitive advantage for the employer, as the company can provide a proven service to the customer.
In Europe, there are many other opportunities to demonstrate your skills as a project manager, in addition to the common IPMA certificates.
– IPMA certifications are demanding because they take work and months to complete. These certificates are not awarded at the end of the training days. That’s why they are more appreciated,” says Isotalo.
The certificate is applied for through the Association of Project Professionals and the application is assessed by assessors. The certificate provides an objective testimony of project competence on a four-point scale, with A being the highest and D the lowest. A certified project professional is entitled to use a professional title awarded by the IPMA (International Project Management Association), such as Certified Project Manager (level C). Certificates can be held in different categories and must be renewed at certain intervals.
Isotalo describes the certification process as a nice trip down memory lane.
– It’s nice to go back to your own work history. Renewing certifications is a positive motivator to train and keep a record of what you’ve done in the last five years,” she says.
In addition to being one of the few A-level certified in Finland, Anne Isotalo is also an IPMA assessor. She assesses the applications of other certificants because she loves project and development work. Read more about Isotalo’s career and work as an assessor in the next issue of Projektimaailma magazine.
Text by Aino Soutsalmi, Medita Communications Agency
