US Department of Defense x Center for Project Innovation

The client

The US Department of Defense (DoD) is an organization that barely needs an introduction, and we are proud to be working behind the scenes with all six branches: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard.

In each branch, transition officers run programs that assist soldiers in making the challenging step from a military career into civilian life and employment. That’s where our project training comes in, to help make that transition a little easier.

The challenge

The period of transition from soldier to civilian life can be a time of great difficulty for veterans, regardless of rank or position. Transitioning means a change of status as well as changes in routine.

Limited support through this period makes it difficult to fit back into society, and the toll of service on mental and physical health has been extensively documented. According to the US Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, more than 5000 veteran suicides are reported each year and 10% of homeless people in the US are veterans.

Traditional transition support involves important items like resume writing, interview skills and non-uniformed dressing, but can fall short of helping to connect the dots between how military experience, skills (and rank) can translate to civilian careers.

Soldiers often find it difficult to see how their years of experience and skills gained in military positions can transfer into civilian employment.

Although project management training isn’t a silver bullet, we have proven that project management training and methodologies can help those in transition to enter civilian employment with marketable skills and the all-important confidence they need to succeed as project managers and valuable members of non-military teams.

Our approach

Working in parallel with transition officers, our courses and certifications teach people the fundamentals of project management and team-based project work, a skill they have more than likely exercised many times throughout their military career without thinking about it.

We show them how their skills directly correlate and apply to industries they are interested in, from construction and development to public service or digital careers (to name just a few). Many go on to serve their communities in new capacities.

Our training also immerses them in plain English project language, so they can confidently step into new roles and opportunities and trade salutes and drills for handshakes and Zoom calls.

We find most of our students can make this transition in their stride with the right kind of support and structure.

Outcomes

The most consistent feedback we receive from transitioning soldiers who complete our courses is that they find themselves in better (and more suitable) jobs than they were anticipating.

Our project management certification levels are designed with military rankings and training in mind, acknowledging prior skills, building confidence, and offering the skill and polish they need to step confidently into respected positions outside the military.

Over the last five years or so, we’ve helped more than 10,000 US soldiers successfully transition or apply project management skillsets in their military careers.

Our alumni include US Military enlisted, warrants and officers, from E2s to CW5s and O7s. Our program became such a success with transitioning officers that the US Military extended the partnership, asking us to teach project management to those who are still enlisted and serving. Our work in the special forces community, for example, means our courses are now a mandatory part of the training required to become a Green Beret Warrant Officer.

Feedback from a Special Forces General

Here’s what retired Brigadier General Sean P Mulholland has to say about the Center for Project Innovation:

“I’ve worked closely with the team from the Center, and I love their approach to project management training. I’m a proud ‘veteran’ of their Certified Project Director (CPD) assessment and wear my certification as a badge of honor. The staff of the Center have managed to simplify what most other organizations have complicated and have done a fantastic job of making their training relevant and attainable to those in need of it.

In my more than 30 years of wearing a military uniform, most of it leading Green Berets in various combat and peace-time missions, I’d be hard-pressed to find a civilian organization who have more consistently demonstrated its desire to help support those who’ve served than the Center for Project Innovation.

To date, I’ve personally advised over a thousand current, transitioning, and past service members to register on OPEN and start their free education and path to project management certification. So far to date, I’ve counted over 2,500 certifications granted by the Center to various service men and women (current, past and present) throughout our armed service branches.

A considerable percentage of these new certificate holders have confided in me about their successes in finding post-military careers.

Here are some of the reasons I feel the Center is so well reviewed by myself and the members of our armed forces: The team at the Center offers a no-nonsense and practical approach to relevant project management frameworks and methodologies. Rather than rote memorization of material, they allow the student to learn and implement correct project management practices in any organization of any size.

Through OPEN, the team at the Center offer a free online training system users can complete at their own time and pace. The training is current in relevancy, world-class in scope, and recognized by industry.

The team at the Center recognize the prior skills and experiences of those seeking project management certifications and help the end user apply them to the certification process. The team at the Center has sought out partners and funding options (including working diligently to have their systems and programs recognized by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs as completely reimbursable by veterans with the GI Bill, Tuition Assistance, or Vocational Rehab).

I’ll end this with this: I’m a huge fan of the Center and their products and unhesitatingly recommend them to any organization.“