Project Management Institute has sponsored this post.
From the rapid growth of cities and urban populations to impacts of climate change and emerging economies around the world coming into their own, the global construction industry will be called upon to build and update the infrastructure systems that are vital to addressing these global challenges.
Now more than ever we are relying on construction industry experts and project managers to create and update infrastructure, including our roads, buildings, water management systems, electrical grids, and communication networks. Today, global infrastructure projects inevitably come with longstanding pain points – including low-pricing tendering practices, scope creep, and lack of digital resources. According to a Project Management Institute (PMI) survey, it is these pain points that contribute to up to 40 percent of construction-related projects exceeding their original planned timelines, and more than 70 percent of projects going over budget.
Coupled with the fact that the construction industry itself needs to change to meet the demands of our future infrastructure needs, there is also a shortage of construction industry project managers who are equipped to work through these pain points to bring projects to life.
New Skills for a New Future in Construction and Infrastructure
The construction industry, like many others, is seeing a rise in new technologies such as drones and artificial intelligence, mobile apps, cloud communication, and data management.
Bringing the construction industry into the future requires highly skilled experts with top-level technical, interpersonal, and project management skills. Upskilling the existing construction workforce is key to ensuring the next generation of leaders are equipped to address both current and unforeseen challenges as the industry continues to evolve.
To that end, Project Management Institute (PMI) is creating a new certification program specifically built for professionals in the construction industry. The Construction Professional in Built Environment Projects (CPBEP) certifies excellence in construction project management, specifically in overcoming challenges and bringing construction projects to life successfully.
The certification is being created in collaboration with industry leaders and organizations through the lens of the key challenges construction project managers are grappling with today, and the innovative skills and technologies that will be needed in the future.
Capstone and Course Details
The centerpiece of the certification is a capstone exam set to launch in 2022, which learners will need to pass to earn the CPBEP certification.
In addition to the exam, PMI is building a series of seven on-demand, online courses. Each course explores a specific area of construction project management, such as communication and risk management.
Three of these courses also offer micro-credentials upon completion of a post-course exam, which offers opportunities for professionals to prove proficiency in specific topic areas. The micro-credentials award a digital badge to show the user’s mastery of the content, which can be used on social media and email signatures.
In all, the courses present an opportunity for construction professionals to focus in on the topics they are most driven to explore. Learners can either prioritize completing individual courses and earning specific micro-credentials or completing all courses as preparation for the CPBEP capstone exam.
The following courses are available now, with the remaining course on execution planning to follow in 2022.
Built Environment Project Communication Pro
This is a micro-credential opportunity, inclusive of an online course and a post-course exam, that teaches how to create a communications strategy and increase stakeholder buy-in for a construction project.
Scope and Change Order Management in the Built Environment
This course covers strategies to develop scopes, manage scope creep, and establish change order processes.
Interface Management in the Built Environment
This course teaches how to manage relationships and deliverables among project stakeholders, including improving real-time visibility and oversight and proactively mitigating risk.
Built Environment Performance and Materials Management Pro
This is also a micro-credential opportunity that teaches how to use metrics-oriented processes to increase transparency in projects, reduce waste, and proactively address global supply chain challenges.
Contract & Risk Management in the Built Environment
This course explores best practices in risk management to implement throughout the entire project lifecycle, including how to manage high impact risks effectively.
Built Environment Technology and Innovation Pro
This is the third micro-credential opportunity focusing on how to incorporate modern technologies across various construction projects and organizations.
As project managers in construction look to maximize the impact of infrastructure investment globally, understanding the challenges associated with the industry – and how to work through them – will be critical. Certifications like CPBEP can get these leaders on the right path.
Register Now to Start Building Project Management Skills
Registration for available courses is currently open at PMI.org/certifications/construction.
To learn more, join PMI’s live webinar Solving Construction Challenges Amid Rapid Industry Change and Industrialization on February 15, 2022 at 4pm EST.