SIA Offers Security Project Manager Course
The Security Industry Association (SIA) offers the only project manager training program that focuses on the unique demands of electronic security projects, an approach that attendees say provides significant benefits in a short amount of time.
SIA’s four-day Certified Security Project Manager (CSPM) program stresses the hands-on aspects of designing and managing security projects and is aimed at helping attendees achieve the hallmarks of effective project management -- bringing projects in on time and on budget. It is offered several times a year in the United States and Canada.
“The course was amazingly informative,” said Kevin Hincks of Simplex Grinnell, who took a CSPM course in Calgary, Alberta, in May. “I’ve been involved in project management for the past ten years and have a project management certificate from Simon Fraser University here in Canada. I got more from the four-day CSPM course than I did from the 12-week course taught at the college.”
One of the things that makes the course so valuable, Hincks said, is that it provides practical instruction and explains “the application of the theories using real-life examples of what we do day-to-day.”
Keith Cohick of Security Management Consulting, meanwhile, said that the CSPM program’s focus on the security industry sets it apart from other project management courses and gives security professionals the expertise needed to “step in and share the limelight of a security project.” The course, he added, is a wise investment for both security project managers and their employers.
“This class was one of the best classes that I have attended during my career,” Cohick said after taking the course in Virginia in June. “I realize the cost can be a concern to many companies in this day and age. However, my personal opinion is that after completing this class, that person brings back the information and shares it with upper management. At that point, you can restructure and or make minor changes to your company processes. The cost up-front will be made back many times over.”
The next CSPM courses are scheduled for Oct. 10-13 in Dallas and Oct. 16-19 in Toronto, Ontario. More information is available by visiting www.siaonline.org/education or contacting Kim Roberts, SIA's manager of education and training, at (703) 647-8496 or kroberts@siaonline.org.