Representatives from 22 universities attending the academic workshop
(Associate Professor Toma, back row far left)
Associate Professor Tetsuya Toma attended the first workshop hosted by PMI-GAC in Japan on March 2 and 3. PMI-GAC is a division of the US PMI (Project Management Institute), the world largest project management organization. It certifies degree programs in project management in universities and graduate schools, and dispatches instructors from the business world to universities. Currently of the 26 schools in 10 countries that offer certified degree programs, only one is located in Asia (Shanghai Jiao Tong University). None are in Japan.
Seventeen Japanese universities, including Hokkaido University, Waseda University, and Kyushu University attended this workshop and deepened their exchanges with five foreign universities, including Boston University in the US and SKEMA Business School in France. SDM will negotiate with these foreign and domestic universities for collaboration. The Japanese chapter of PMI (of which Associate Professor Toma is the director for education) is planning to educate not only universities but high schools about the importance of project management so that awareness and training can start at a younger age.
One of the great achievements in this industry is that the three project management organizations, PMI GAC, Engineering Advancement Association of Japan, and Project Management Association of Japan, cooperated to co-host this workshop.
Related link:
http://www.pmi-japan.org/news/info/2010_03_04_pmi-gac.php