Self-test: Is a course at the "Project Assistant with Certificate (IPMA Level D)" level the right one for me?

A project assistant with an IPMA Level D qualification talking to her team colleague.
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Analysis of the functions/activities of project assistants

For whom is the "Project Assistant with Certificate (IPMA Level D)" course suitable?

  • Employees who are involved in projects or are intended to be involved in projects and would like to acquire basic skills in project work.
  • People from all professions who have no or already have some project experience and would like to learn the basics and methodology of project management for smaller and simpler projects.

 

What does the day-to-day work within these functions look like? Which activities are carried out and how often?

Project assistants are the organizational and administrative hub of projects. They handle project-related correspondence with customers, authorities, suppliers and internal departments, coordinate appointments, monitor resource planning and manage the time reports of project staff. They are the first point of contact for concerns and inquiries from the team, customers, internal services and other parties involved.

Job descriptions in job advertisements for project assistants and project staff:

Main tasks Frequency in %
Administrative and organizational support for project management and the project team, correspondence and quotations, contact person for team, clients and management 60%
Collaboration in the project (data maintenance, creation of reports, evaluations, statistics, presentations, project post-calculations, invoice control) 15%
Create, prepare and manage project-specific documentation and documents. Manage and compile training documentation, final documentation 15%
Other tasks such as: Assisting with customer service, supporting sales and marketing, ordering and managing work equipment 10%

The weighting of the individual areas of responsibility can vary greatly depending on the company.

Typical requirements in job advertisements:

  • Commercial training with several years of professional experience or completed technical apprenticeship in the field of application of the project
  • Professional experience as a project assistant
  • Several years of experience in project control and reporting
  • Very good written and spoken German
  • Depending on the environment: very good knowledge of English, French and Italian
  • Very good MS-Office user knowledge
  • Further training with a higher technical diploma, technical school or equivalent knowledge and skills.
  • Organizational talent with a positive attitude and high resilience
  • Independent, service-oriented and precise way of working
  • Driver's license

Question 1:

Do the activities of project assistants meet my expectations?

Course description "Project Assistant with certificate (IPMA Level D)"

The most important key points of a "Project Assistant with Certificate (IPMA Level D)" course are described here:

Course description "Project Assistant with certificate (IPMA Level D)"

Question 2:

Are you generally interested in a project course at this level?

Prerequisites at the time of starting the course / examination

  • IPMA Level D: Neither experience in project management nor a specific school-leaving qualification or professional qualification is required
  • Project Manager SIZ: Minimum age 20, at least 3-year apprenticeship or high school diploma, commercial diploma or higher degree and one year of project experience
  • Klubschul DIPLOMA: Vocational training or higher education, several years of professional experience, project experience if possible
  • School's own certificate: Often a completed apprenticeship and at least 2 years of professional experience are required, project experience is usually not a requirement but desirable

Question 3:

Do I meet the requirements?

Financing of further training

The course fees for a "Project Assistant with Certificate" course must be paid either at the beginning of the course or by the semester. However, in individual cases it is also possible to agree individual installment payments.

Question 4:

Are you able to finance between CHF 2,500 and CHF 5,900, depending on the course and type of school, for the course, teaching materials, final examinations plus expenses for travel and meals?

Time spent on classroom teaching and learning (homework)

The course lasts one to two semesters while working. The time required for classroom teaching is 4 to 10 hours per week (there are different course models, such as evening courses or Saturday courses).

The learning effort (homework) amounts to around 4 to 6 hours per week in addition to school lessons.

Question 5:

Can I cope with the time and effort required for the face-to-face lessons and homework?

Conclusion

Will I graduate?

  • IPMA Level D: The IPMA certification consists of a self-assessment and a written, three-hour examination on the subject areas of project management competencies, behavioral competencies and project management context competencies. The examination contains a total of 100 multiple-choice questions and 9 text tasks, which together result in a maximum of 190 points. A pass is achieved with 114 points or more.
  • SIZ project manager: The SIZ project manager training consists of three modules. Each module concludes with a 60 to 90-minute module examination, which is taken online. The diploma is issued when all three module examinations have been passed. A module examination can be repeated three times within two years. The best result is counted at the end.
  • Klubschul DIPLOMA: There is an individual electronic examination of 90 minutes and a case study that must be worked on and presented in groups
  • School's own certificate: the following conditions are customary for the award of the school's own certificate/diploma: attendance of 80% of the course lessons, participation in intermediate examinations, completed group, semester or diploma thesis, passing the final oral examination on the diploma thesis)

Question 6:

Do I have the confidence to pass the exams and certificates of competence?

Have you already made up your mind?
Or would you like to know more?

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