Metropolia Business School is a department at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, one of 9 other departments, where students study for a Bachelor´s, Master´s, or for a non-degree education in business. There are currently about 2000 students and more than 60 instructors. In recent years, Project Management education has been gaining a more prominent place in business studies. One of the reasons is a successful PRY certification that became available for Metropolia´s students since 2019. It remains continuously popular to acquire and prove professional skills that are in high demand on the job market.
Teksti Zinaida Grabovskaia
Kuvat Metropolia University of Applied Sciences
Project management courses have attraction
During the application period, we often hear from our potential applicants: “Oh, I have checked your courses, and I can see project management, strategy, management, analytics and other important subjects. I want to study with you!” Applicants recognize these subjects as critical for their professional growth, and they seek these fundamental areas in the first place. In addition to just teaching courses, Metropolia Business School can also offer a few certifications, including our absolute favorite – the Project management certification. The Foundation Certification by Projektiammattilaiset PRY, Finland (based on Project Management Competence Elements defined by IPMA), is available to our students because of Metropolia´a membership in Projektiammattilaiset (PRY).
Certification is no walk in the park
The Certification exam is not easy to pass. The students prepare diligently: some independently, via the well selected materials recommended by the exam organizers, and others via taking “Project Management” courses on both Bachelor´s or Master´s levels. When they pass, students happily share their nicely looking certificates on LinkedIn, add them to CVs and professional portfolios, and inform potential employers via social media accounts about becoming a “Certified Project Manager”.
For international students, gaining a certification is especially vital, as they need to build a new life and earn professional reputation in Finland. They treasure all competence proofs that are earned in Finland, and we hear a lot of positive feedback for making certifications available. More importantly, there are a few cases every year when the certification plays a critical role in recruitment. We witness a few people hired every year as project managers due to – to a great extent – the students´ timely certified skills.
Learning how to be a superman
For bachelor’s students, preparation for the Project management certification comes as a totally novel and challenging subject matter. They have only heard of project managers as heroes who can move mountains and make wonders on projects, despite all odds. Bachelor´s students want to learn more about this popular professional field, and the certification provides a unique chance to prioritize this area, invest time, learn, and make a try. For Bachelor´s students, the project management certification comes hand in hand with real-life projects as part of their studies. Importantly, Finnish companies are warmly invited to provide their “cases” for students’ projects! In response, companies will get a bunch of very innovative, often unexpected solutions, with a fresh eye from the younger generation. Every year we have interesting and challenging cases for the business students to crack (starting from Peter Vesterbacka and up to Nokia cases). Thus, theoretical and practical Project management studies come hand in hand for Bachelor´s students at Metropolia Business School.
Education is always worth it
But there are also Master´s students, who make a totally different type of audience. According to the requirements of the Finnish education system, Master´s students in Universities of Applied Sciences should have a minimum of 2 years of full-time professional experience before entering the Master´s level studies. Most of Master´s students have 10+ years of professional experience, and they come to study on the master’s level when they are faced with a practical need to make the next leap in their career, to the management level. For such students, it is a matter of professional curiosity to understand the current state of Project management education. For such students, the Project management certification is a moment to structure their hands-on knowledge and confirm their intuitions. On this advanced level, students benefit from updating their hard-earned, practical knowledge to a strong theoretical level. This is good for their own professional self-esteem as well as for their companies.
Kirjoittaja:
