Military personnel and veterans must one day transition to civilian life. Their life in the military allows them to transition rapidly and use their plethora of experiences in civilian jobs. One such field where they can use their experience is in the field of project management. However, the nature of their military jobs allows them very little time to pursue higher educational certifications like the PMP Certification for military personnel or take a Project Management Professional PMP Course. Additionally, working in the military restricts job opportunities for veterans. Since most military personnel and veterans already have project management skills, the PMP certification is ideal for them to open the doors to project management jobs and lucrative job opportunities. So, what exactly is the PMP Certification for military persons and veterans? Let’s find out.
Get to know more importance of project charter.
Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification
The PMP certification of PMI is the gold-standard Certification in Project Management globally. This almost free PMP Certification for veterans needs you to be a graduate with 4,500 hours of project management experience or a secondary level graduate with 7,500 hours of experience. You will also need 35 hours of education or PDUs at PMI or a recognized PMI partner like the Knowledgehut Project Management Professional PMP Course to understand, speak, transition skills, and speak the project management language skilfully. The PMP experience criteria accounts for your military experience, and assistance or discounted fee structure is available for veterans and active personnel in the military to earn the PMP Certification.
PMP® certifications across the globe follow the same criteria for the certification process, approval, and eligibility requirements. The fee is 10 USD for PMI members to obtain the PMP application form. The basic criteria to apply for the PMP or Project Management Professional Credential is that you need to have.
- A Secondary Degree like the associate degree, High School Diploma, or its equivalent.
- Have at least 60 months or five years of non-overlapping unique experience in Project Management with experience in directing/leading projects of at least 7,500 hours.
- Acquire 35 hours of education at the PMI or its authorized representative in Project Management. (Ex: The Knowledgehut Project Management Professional Certification Course).
OR
- A 4-yr bachelor’s degree/its global equivalent.
- At least 36 months or three years of non-overlapping unique experience in Project Management with experience directing/leading projects of at least 4,500 hours.
- Acquire 35 hours of education at the PMI or its authorized representative in Project Management.
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You need to keep in mind that the project management education hours are formal project management hours at work or on projects. The rule of thumb followed here is that this is about 2000 hours per year or a maximum of 40 hours per week of mandatory training PDUs in a calendar (12 months) year. In the case of military personnel handling multiple projects in any month, you need to total the hours spent on each project and total it into the monthly hours in any of the five categories mentioned when filling in the PMP exam application form.
The 35 contact hours of project management education are through training in either of these two ways.
- You can use in-person or online classes from the PMI authorized training academy.
- Attend the training program on Project Management conducted by the local PMI Chapter.
Learn How to Earn More PDUs After the Completion of PMP Certification.
PMP Certifications for Military
Project Management skills are critically needed skills that span across industries and professions. It is no single discipline, and the PMP Certified person needs various interdisciplinary skills. The military abounds with project management tasks. Veterans and military personnel have always dealt with prioritized projects and missions. Thus, they have abundant project management skills that can easily be re-packaged and honed into project management expertise. This can be achieved through many nearly free PMP Certifications for military members and the project manager course online on our platform.
Many industries consider hiring ex-military personnel with PMP Certification, gaining a competitive edge over the market. Why? Project management is a global phenomenon that remains the same across industries and countries. It involves initiating, strategizing, planning, executing, reviewing, controlling, monitoring, and closing activities, just as in military planning.
So now, we should look at several such almost free PMP Certification for military courses that are just right for the veterans and military personnel in service.
Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) Certification
The CAPM or Certified Associate in Project Management is an entry-level course and certification that is not quite as stringent as the PMP about the requirement of project managerial experience. It validates your knowledge of project management processes, terminology, fundamentals, etc. The eligibility criteria for CAPM are 23 hours of education in project management and 1500 hours of PM experience. The CAPM® exam consists of 150 multiple-choice questions to be answered in 3-hours. The score is 135 questions, while 15 of them are non-scored pre-test questions.
Project Management Institute-Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)
The PMI or Project Management Institute offers the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner or ACP certification to demonstrate your knowledge of Agile techniques, skills, and knowledge of concepts in Agile, Kanban, Scrum, XP or Extreme Programming, Lean, and developmental concepts of test-driven projects. The PMI-ACP course needs 30 PDUs of training on project management education at PMI or its recognized training partners.
The eligibility criteria for the PMI-ACP exam are as follows.
- You need to have a secondary degree.
- You will need 21 PDUs of Project Management educational training.
- Your experience should have at least 12 months of project experience gained over the last five years.
- Alternately, you must be PgMP®or PMP® certified.
- You should possess at least eight months of Agile experience in project management gained over the last three years.
The three-hour PMI-ACP examination has 120 questions that are of the multiple-choice type. Every three years, you will need to renew your certification, and for this, you will need 30 PDUs on Agile topics.
Projects in Controlled Environment (PRINCE2) Certification
The PRINCE2 (‘Projects in Controlled Environments) Certification is a project manager certification from PMI (the best project management authority) and is accepted globally across Australia, Western Europe, UK, US, etc. The program certifies your knowledge and skills in the structured project management method. There are four levels of PRINCE 2 certifications, namely the Professional, Practitioner, and Foundation levels. Hence this certification is great for veterans and military personnel as it factors in your military and educational experience levels and has an assistance program available. The KnowledgeHut training course is accredited by Axelos, requires 16 PDUs of PM education, and comes with certification valid for a lifetime.
PRINCE2 Practitioner and Foundation certifications are AXELOS, and PeopleCert® accredited certifications. The course is designed to improve project management skills in controlled environments where the projects may have different sizes, types, complexities or scales. The multi-industry global requirements met by the PRINCE 2 Certifications provide an excellent opportunity to veterans and military personnel looking to make civilian careers while using their accumulated military skills and experience in the project management field.
The certifications involve two levels, namely the Foundation Certification and the Professional Certification. The Foundational level will suffice if you are in a supportive project management role.
The Foundation PRINCE 2 Course provides education on the methodology of PRINCE 2, themes, processes, and principles. The one-hour exam has 60 MCQ or multiple answers type of questions, while the closed-book exam pass mark is an enviable 55% score and is a must to pursue the PRINCE 2 Professional Certification.
The Professional PRINCE 2 Course expands on the learning of the foundational course and applies it to real-world controlled environment situations through case studies and project simulations. The exam at this level is a 150-minute open book exam having 68 questions. Again, you need to have a minimum 55% score to earn your certification.
PMP, CAPM, and ACP for Military Personnel and Veterans
While PMP and CAPM have existed for a long time, the PMI ACP is a relatively new certification on the project management horizon. While all are beneficial in their own way for serving as well as retired military personnel, the CAPM requires the least amount of project experience and even younger military personnel can opt for it if they’re planning on transitioning to a civilian work life.
The PMI ACP is a great option for armed forces personnel who have some degree of experience with the Agile methodologies. The ACP certification covers several leading approaches to agile including Lean, Kanban, Scrum, Extreme Programming (XP), and test-driven development (TDD). It is a great certification to opt for if you would like to learn different approaches to project management and wish to work with versatile projects.
The PMP certification is the most rigorous and demanding of the three and the most respected globally. It takes into account your experience in project management, and your aptitude for managing projects. Being a globally recognized certification, it opens your career for opportunities for growth that match your experience.
Top Cities where Knowledgehut Conduct PMP Certification Training Course Online
PMI Support for Military Personnel
The premier, global PMI or Project Management Institute assists and supports veterans and persons working in the military in getting their close-to-free PMP Certification for veterans. The experience required for the project management certifying exams factors in the experience of military professionals who already have various requisite skills and can provide a competitive advantage to project management jobs in the market. You can visit their website https://www.pmi.org/military for details on their PMI programs and certifications for professional development.
The PMI programs offer veterans or military personnel free and assisted courses. Thus, they can attain these certifications and help transition their skills to suit some of the most lucrative jobs. Thus, PMI’s Military Outreach Program provides support and is designed to help retired, separated, and active personnel in the military gain project management accreditations like the PMP, CAPM, PMI ACP, PRINCE 2, etc., and aid them in the skill transitioning, Project Management navigation, certification and application processes.
VA or the local Veterans Association funding in collaboration with PMI-Project Management Institute can help cover the PMI’s Project Management Certifications costs. Note that if you are a member of PMI, you may be eligible for a year’s membership for free at the local PMI chapter. Many reputed and PMI-recognized training academies provide a highly discounted course fee for veterans and military personnel. Do note that such military aspirants will need to submit and have satisfactory proof of their military status in the PMI’s Forms DDForm2 or DD214.
Some of the benefits of these PMP certifications for veterans and active military persons transitioning to civilian jobs is that:
- You can get an additional 22% of your income through a civilian job.
- You get assistance for gaining the certifications.
- You already possess most of the strategic and operational skills in Project Management. To transition and earn certification, you just need to learn Project Management terminology, jargon, new PM methods, Agile skills, etc.
- Post-certification, you can apply for plum project management positions with lucrative salaries.
- You increase your civilian career prospects and job scope.
Project Management Jobs That are Good Fit for Veterans?
Almost every professional job today needs a specified set of skills, degrees, certifications, and titles. The PMP Certification for military certifications validates your project management skills and prepares you to accept civilian project management jobs that are high paying.
The military experience and its transferrable skills make veterans and active military members an exceptionally good fit for civilian jobs in the project management sector. They already possess practical knowledge of several project management aspects and phases in managing projects like Project Planning, Initiating, Executing, Controlling, Monitoring, Closing, etc. The PMI Certifications in Project Management are thus very useful in helping the veterans and military personnel make a new project management civilian career.
Some of the job's areas and roles suitable for veterans and military personnel are managerial positions calling for skills in:
- Project or Mission planning.
- Delegating, organizing, and maintaining the labor divisions.
- Project management needing flexibility and communication.
- Projects focusing on intelligence gathering.
- Project management requiring precise handling of complex details.
- Projects that call for quick and informed decision-making.
- Jobs involving adapting to new technical skills and technologies.
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March Ahead to a Successful Career Transition
The PMI or Project management institute has several project management certifications that help veterans and military personnel get accreditations in Project Management skills. Completing the certification helps ex-military and active-duty personnel transition into well-paying jobs and civilian careers. Several PMI-recognized training institutes offer such courses. The KH course scores because of the excellent PMI® approved courseware, certified instructor-led courses, various online, offline, and hybrid classes, near free courses, a refund guarantee, and focus on concept retention through case studies. Try it out today!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How do you get PMP certified in the military?
When you transition to civilian life, you can use your acquired skills to earn the PMP Certification from PMI. Get in touch with the DTAP or the Defense Transition Assistance Program Team, or the DVA (Department of Veteran Affairs) for further details.
2. Will the military pay for PMP certification?
If you are looking for free PMP Certifications for military members who are active in the military or are a veteran, you can avail the assistance of PMI or VA (Veterans Associations) to receive some financial assistance.
3. Does PMP count military experience?
Yes. PMP eligibility conditions factor in your military experience. PMP needs you to have a secondary degree with 7,500 hours or a graduate degree holder with 4,500 hours of project management experience. You will need to take an inventory of your military experience and decide what can be included in these requirements as project management experience.
4. What is PMP in the military?
Military personnel have a variety of PMP or project management professional skills like strategizing and leading cross-functional teams to achieve the mission’s goals, technical managerial, budgeting, and scheduling skills, along with soft skills like performance appraisals, conflict resolution, and more.
5. What is the advantage of PMP for a military person?
The PMP certification validates the skills and knowledge a professional has in the domain of project management. In the military or other armed forces, individuals go through rigorous training and get to manage projects of a varying nature. The PMP certification validates their experience and expertise and helps them qualify for several opportunities in a civilian work environment.
