Courses

[M K]

Dear All,

 

Warning. This is a newbie question.

 

In Project Management (PM) there are 2 internationaly recognized courses (PRINCE2 and PMBOK). Realistically, employers looking for candidates that specialize in PM are seeking such certifications.  There are also similar certifciations in IT inductry for different areas such as Security, Programming, Audit etc.

 

SO I was wondering if:

 

[1] There are internationally recognized courses/certifications that I could take that provide an Introduction to Management Consulting - specifically for the main frameworks?

 

[2] Any specific courses/certifications that McKinsey , BCG etc. look for, or send their own employees to or in fact offer themselves?

 

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks

Mehdi

 

[Tom Spencer]

Hey Mehdi, 

 

What's your current situation? Are you an undergrad, working, masters, etc?

 

I had a chat with Tone about this. The view coming out of our discussion is:

 

[1] Not that we can think of but the PM would be invaluable.  The annoying thing is that you have to renew them. Otherwise, a masters of management could be a good option. 

 

[2] Read this post re Is there a specific major that MC firms are after?

 

Does that help?

[M K]

Hi Tom,

 

Thanks for the response. To answer your question, I finished my PhD 3.5 years ago in the Cyber Security field of Information Technology. Since then I have been working full time as a consultant in the same area. First 1.5 years I was in a very technical role (penetration testing, infrastructure testing etc.). 

 

I thought I would always be the "technical guy" , however the last 1.5 years I moved across into Governance and Risk Assessments, and limited security strategy work. I think this is more challenging (in my opinion anyway), and made me a significanltly better consultant.  I am already thinking of doing the PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner Course as I have been doing both delievery and project management in he last 18 months.

 

I have to say I am really suprised that there is no certification/courses specifically for management consulting frameworks. There seems to be enough interest.

 

PS. Thanks again for the response to both you and Tone !

Cheers Mehdi

[Tom Spencer]

Medhi, 

 

I've done some further research, and there are definitely some courses out there.

 

If your aim is to get a job with an MBB firm, then they don't really require specific certifications. However, if your goals is to learn skills that you can directly apply in your current job, then taking a course could be worthwhile. 

 

Here are some links I've managed to find for the USA and UK:

1. Imperial Summer School Course in Business Strategy & Consulting (UK)
2. Techniques for Change Consulting Skills Course (UK)
3. Harvard Online Class in Management Consulting (USA)
4. Institute of Management Consultants (USA)