The University of Pretoria (UP) has been teaching project management at postgraduate level since the 1970s and in August 1997, it launched a practical 20-day project management programme, the Programme in Project Management (PPM). Since then, the programme has been presented 154 times and this year we celebrate 20 years of training excellence in project management.

While the Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM) at UP is responsible for development of the programme's academic content, the administration and roll-out of the programme are facilitated by Enterprises University of Pretoria (Enterprises UP). Unlike most of the University's other postgraduate programmes, which focus on both practical and theoretical aspects, the PPM's focus is specifically on the development of practical project-management skills in the workplace.

The programme includes several practical assignments that delegates perform within their own work environments, including the development of project plans, risk management plans, and the like. As such, the PPM is not only suitable for engineers, but also for individuals who are involved in or interested in managing projects in any other environment or industry.

To hone the project-management skills of PPM delegates, a multidisciplinary team of course presenters – each an expert in a specific project-management knowledge area – ensure that the delegates are equipped with a working knowledge of the broad range of disciplines needed for successful project management.

The PPM also benefits extensively from the University's postgraduate course work and research on the subject, as UP has been offering a master's degree programme in project management (MPM) since 1999. Currently, this is the only master's programme in Africa accredited by the Global Accreditation Center for Project Management Education Programs (GAC) of the international Project Management Institute (PMI).

The majority of the presenters on the PPM also lecture in the MPM. Research work by MPM students, lecturing staff and PhD candidates ensures that the latest developments and best practices are always taken into account.

In December 2006, leading construction and engineering company, Group Five, invited proposals for project management courses from several training providers and, after a rigorous assessment of proposals, selected the GSTM and Enterprises UP to further the project management discipline within their group of companies.

The course selected was a tailored version of the PPM and the first Group Five intake on the programme commenced in June 2007. Another eight intakes were successfully completed within the first ten years of collaboration, with a total of 244 delegates from Group Five enrolled. A relatively high pass rate has been achieved, signifying that the delegates mastered the required skills to manage their projects successfully.

Mr Jacques le Roux, head of the Group Five Academy, commented on the decade of collaboration stating, 'We started this programme ten years ago to provide our first-line project managers with the necessary skill sets to turn loss-making projects into to profit-making ones. Over ten years we have done more than that – we have built a professional internal project-management body that is able to function across our various construction, manufacturing and concession businesses.'

The PPM is presented in two alternative modes (with identical course outcomes) – either as a 20-day programme, presented over four study blocks of five days each, or as a weekender option over eight Fridays and eight Saturdays. There are several intakes annually on both training options. The programme is open to the public and can also be presented as an in-house course tailored to organisations' specific industry or sector requirements.