Organizations are under increasing pressure to produce high quality products, services and results with reduced staff, material resources and funds. It is growingly important that employees acquire and strengthen the competencies to support their organization’s strategic and tactical goals in an engaged, effective and efficient way. Obtaining a professional certification can offer a potential benefit for employees and their employers, as well. Federal employees have access to a variety of project management certifications. The two most prominent certifications are those hosted by the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the FAA Program/Project Management (FAA P/PM) Certification.

• PMI Certifications:
  PMI is an internationally-recognized, not-for-profit, professional membership association that supports the project management profession, and serves to mature project, program and portfolio management. PMI hosts a variety of industry-wide, internationally-recognized professional project management certifications:




You can find more information about PMI’s certifications on PMI’s website.

Currently, there are over 750,000 industry-certified project managers that lead projects all over the world. Pursuing certification offers opportunities for developing new skills, honing existing skills, networking, and creating a foundation for obtaining additional project management certifications. Professional certification offers potential benefits for employers as well. For example, a 2015 PMI Pulse of the Profession study found that, when one-third or more of an organization’s project managers are PMP-certified, those organizations complete more of their projects on time, on budget, and in accordance with original goals.

The PMP Certification is one of the more common PMI Certifications. The following requirements must be met in order to apply for the PMP Certification:



Applicants can begin their PMP Certification here. Note: You must be logged in with a PMI account to access this page: https://certification.pmi.org/default.aspx

After the application is approved, applicants must schedule a testing date, and pass the exam. The exam fee is $405 PMI Members, and $555 for non-PMI Members. Applicants are given 4 hours to answer 200 multiple-choice questions.

Those who possess the PMP Certification must earn 60 Professional Development Units (PDU’s) every three years to maintain it.

Those who do not have the requisite amount of experience to apply for the PMP Certification can pursue the Certified Associate Project Manager (CAPM) Certification. The PMI website has more information about the CAPM

• FAA P/PM Certification: Several federal agencies have implemented training, professional development and certification programs designed to promote the competencies required to manage each agency’s unique programs and projects.
  
  For example, the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) manages the FAC-P/PM Certification Program, and the Department of Defense (DoD) manages the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Certification. The FAA has an internal certification that represents technical and non-technical competencies required to manage FAA program, projects, teams, partnerships effectively, and in a way that meets customer needs.
  
  The certification is available in Levels I, II, III and IT. There are a variety of resources available to FAA P/PM Certification applicants. Among valuable resources include the following websites:
  • FAA Program/Project Management (P/PM) Professions Portal: This portal provides access to information, tools, and resources.

  The portal’s information is distributed across 4 tabs:

  • P/PM Home
  • Competencies
  • Competency Based Tools
  • Certification Requirements
  • Federal Acquisition Institute Training
    Application System (FAITAS):
    A system that FAA employees use to apply for and renew their federal certifications (such as the FAA P/PM Certification). Applicants can access this portal and register for an account here: https://faitas.army.mil/Faitas/External/Login/?ReturnUrl=%2ffaitas

Applicants must meet the education, experience and training requirements that align with the level they are pursuing (Level, I, II, III and IV). This certification does not require applicants to take an exam.

The most updated information about certification is maintained in the Career Guide. Applicants can download the Career Guide through the following steps:

• Go to the FAA Program/Project Management (P/PM) Profession Portal.
• Go to the P/PM Home Tab.
• Locate the P/PM Quick Links section banner on the right side of the page.
• Click on the “Career Guide” link underneath the P/PM Quick Links banner.
• Locate the chapter titled “Obtain and Maintain Certification,” and the pages that correspond to the desired level of certification.

Applicants can begin their application for certification on FAITAS through the following steps:

• Go to the FAA Program/Project Management (P/PM) Professions Portal
• Go to the P/PM Home Tab
• Follow the steps in the Get P/PM Certified banner, located on the left side of the page.

Those who possess the PMP Certification must earn 80 Continuous Learning Points (CLP’s) every two years to maintain it.

While PMI Certifications (like the PMP) and the FAA P/PM are distinct and unique, they do have two commonalities:

1. The PMP Certification is mandatory to apply for FAA P/PM Levels II, III, and IV.
2. Those who already possess the PMP Certification are required to complete fewer training requirements to apply for the FAA P/PM Level I Certification than those who do not possess the PMP at the time of applying.

The Aeronautical Center’s Project Management Office (PMO) supports the Center’s project management community through a variety of support services, including consultation and project support; annual and customized training for individuals, teams and organizations; standardized tools, templates, and guides; and hosting professional development opportunities. For more information or support related to any of these areas, please contact Regina.Gilland@faa.gov or by calling (405) 954-5799.