Stuart Herod, Project Manager – Roofing at Placemakers in Christchurch had all the technical skills to do his job well but felt he could do even better if he had some business skills to wrap around his day-to-day working.
He looked around for courses that would meet his needs and signed up for a Certificate of Project Management with eCampus NZ. The flexible online course meant he could choose his study hours, fitting them in around work and other commitments.
The certificate is made up of four modules, each one delivered over 10 weeks and requiring participants to study for about 15 hours a week.
“I never did any formal study for my job, and I’ve been successful over the years, but I knew I needed to gain a more formal understanding of the different aspects of project management,” Stuart says.
Part of the course involves learning how to lead, motivate, coordinate, engage, set deadlines and strategise. “It gave me a much better understanding of the different components of managing and who was involved at each stage of the process. A lot of the things the course covered I was actually doing already, but it was good to put a name or process to my day-to-day responsibilities.”
His employer backed him all the way.
“Absolutely. Fletchers have a positive outlook for staff doing extra education that will help them in their role, and they know the business is going to benefit. So it’s a bit of a win-win really.”
And Stuart says his study has definitely influenced the way he manages projects.
“My skillset is suited to a project management role. The eCampus NZ course has helped me understand where I am and what I need to do in the various stages throughout individual projects. Stakeholder management is critical to any project management role and I now have more respect for that.”
In short, he’s come away with a “big-picture” understanding of his job. “I’d recommend anyone interested in project management do it. A certificate gives you a good taste for what project management is all about, and if you want to, you can add more papers and complete a diploma.”
Be sure to check out our full range of Student Success Stories and if you would like to learn more about the qualification that Stuart achieved, take a look at the New Zealand Certificate in Project Management (Level 4)