Project Management Institute (PMI) has launched Construction Professional in Built Environment Projects (CPBEP), its first industry-specific solution tailored for construction professionals to address the challenges and opportunities facing construction professionals and organisations.

The new certification consists of seven online learning courses, three of which include the opportunity to earn a micro-credential upon course completion. This suite of online courses and micro-credentials would help professionals in Singapore navigate “an increasingly uncertain world and steer towards success,” said PMI.

According to Turner & Townsend, construction demand in Singapore continues to be high, with around S$5.7 billion of contracts awarded in the first quarter of 2021, a decline of only 0.1% as compared to the previous quarter. At the same time, global supply chain constraints and other pandemic-related factors are expected to cause tender prices to escalate by 10-15%. Added to this are the more expensive materials and manpower. These factors suggest that construction firms and property players in Singapore will continue to be pressured to do more with less.

“With rising costs and continued constraints from the pandemic, the construction industry and its professionals in Singapore need to be more agile to navigate disruptions and steer towards success. This need for flexibility is also exemplified by the government’s recent move to prepare more than one concept plan for long-term land use for the first time in 50 years,” said Ben Breen, global head of construction and managing director, Asia Pacific, PMI.

“With more than five decades in the project management industry, PMI is uniquely positioned to help equip professionals with the skills needed to transform the surging industry through developing these innovative learning methods and practices.”

PMI worked with leading construction organisations and subject matter experts to identify common issues that are detracting from project outcomes and taking a toll on the professionals leading these projects – and the companies funding them. The new earning solutions aim to help construction professionals evolve their project management skills and lead their projects and organisations forward.

“The courses and micro-credentials can help these professionals through upskilling to ensure they have the power and technical skills needed to deliver projects of all sizes more successfully,” highlighted PMI, “especially as construction organisations experiment with various new technologies and ramp up their work.”

In 2020, PMI surveyed more than 40,000 global Project Management Professional (PMP) certification holders in the construction industry and found that 72% of them experience project delays always or often, 70% experience scope creep always or often, and 73% of projects ended over budget.

The first three courses now available are:

• Built Environment Project Communication Pro. This micro-credential with a course focuses on the power of effective communication and how to improve this skill, specifically in a construction environment.

• Scope and Change Order Management in the Built Environment. This course focuses on project outcomes and understanding how technology can support scope development, management, and change order processes.

• Interface Management in the Built Environment. This course focuses on the effective management of communications, relationships, and deliverables among various stakeholders in large, complex projects.

The remaining four courses are planned to be introduced in 2022, along with the capstone exam that will award the CPBEP certification to professionals who pass the exam.

Image: Project Management Institute