We made it our mission to

• share over 30 years of project management experience through mentoring, help educate people embarking on a second career (such as after a major downsizing), and to offer training to young people who are eager to enter the workforce but did not get the right training to find a career opportunity. This experience has been incredibly rewarding, but it is limiting to work within a traditional education paradigm that does not reflect the reality of relevant knowledge needed in the workplace. With the teaching experience that we gained in a traditional educational setting,we learned first-hand what students genuinely needed. We developed relevant courses to accommodate different areas of needs.


• design our training to bridge the understanding between project managers and business managers, if only because we are all committed to good management. A critical success factor is to understand the important role of project management in implementing change which, in turn, keeps companies vibrant and to master the skills required to control the change process as companies transform. Part of that transformation is to advance the opportunities for workers affected by change to adapt to the new workplace or to find new opportunities elsewhere.


• reach out to people starting out in their career (or 2nd career) with an interest in (project) management and to teach the many skills which can create management savvy. In stark contrast to the recent trend of casting people aside as technology changes, we believe in empowering people with training using only the most current tools and technology. This is essential in meeting today's current demands in business. Project management is often learned through mentoring because fundamental training is lacking, so our goal is to fill that training void.


• help people focus on different possibilities through courses which can help to develop learning skills, career skills, and job hunting skills. Our major focus areas include the following: soft-skills to enhance team work, improve self-awareness, and even to master turn-key business opportunities which, also, benefit people in transition or in retirement. Several of our turn-key business opportunities are tied into training programs which offer students an opportunity to put their training into practice through businesses of their own.

We have a proud history as project managers, and we strive to excel in every aspect of project management with a clear focus on results.

• We also understand the need to excel in a broader based view of management that more and more relies upon project structures to deliver results. Managing a project involves much more than the ability to construct a nice looking project plan: it requires business acumen to ensure a firm grasp of the context of projects as well as enabling initiatives to improve an organization. This is when we first started building a program to supplement project management knowledge with a firm grasp of business concepts in turn lead to more successful projects in different types of settings.


• We focus on business management because projects cannot operate in isolation from the business entity for which the projects were chartered. To make business training more meaningful, we have focused on entrepreneurship, but we have also created programs for people interested in an assistant level career path for both business and/or project management. Given this need for business management training, we were able to hone our teaching expertise in a career college setting, which provided a great opportunity to work with people who needed a fresh start in building and developing their prerequisite skills required for success in the workplace. Many of the lessons learned in that environment has helped us to enhance the training materials provided in our courses.


• We provide notebooks that help the students focus on the core knowledge required to master a given subject. Notebooks do not replace textbooks; however, experience has revealed to us that the cost of textbooks added to the time constraints and challenges faced by most students are far broader than what the students need for a good understanding of the subject matter. Most textbooks are not aligned with current technology, so in order to introduce students to the PC tools that they would need most to be successful in the workplace, we needed to create a reference from which they viewed the material in a practical manner. We accomplished this by presenting our training materials through the tools and technology that our students would be most familiar with.


• We use MS-Excel™ workbooks with VBA software to demonstrate and illustrate many concepts and facilities in project management, in particular the full integration of financial management with project management. Since most people have access to a computer with MS-Office there is a greater availability to Excel™ than MS-Project™ (at least in the context of teaching theory). All of our software is offered free-of-charge to our students, so they have something that works, instantly, when they return to their workplace . This is just one of the many advantages that our students can benefit from by completing one of our courses. Whether you are running your own business or working as an employee, immediate, productive contributions are, always, most important to the bottom line in any organization. That, of course, is a much more compelling argument than any diploma that they might hang in their cubicle.


• We developed training programs, originally, as part of our consulting practice, and now we aim to make these training programs available through different affiliated providers that share our mission to bring business and project management training to people looking for a career. We, also, were involved in developing business training programs at a Career College level. Most of that experience is reflected in the courses that are detailed on this site.

Our goal is to facilitate opportunities for training by empowering like-minded people to engage in

• delivering career training, based on the tools we have developed in local communities where few other options for business career training is available;


• delivering training courses at competitive rates that make more learning opportunities available to anyone who wants to be educated in business and/or technical subjects;


• enabling aspiring training providers with easy to deliver programs and tools to support a provider;


• enabling independent learning and distance learning with internet access as well as for making coaching available to facilitate the learning process as required;


• Structuring programs so that students can select courses “smorgasbord” style to pursue knowledge “just in time” to help them obtain a job or advance in their career.

Our training programs do not require up-front commitment to a program of study, so students can progress at their own pace, and invest in one course at a time, instead of committing to a full program at start-up. Our goal is to accommodate the personal needs of students with family care obligations which can, at times, get in the way of completing study assignments. Our objective is to help students master the subject matter over time while we minimize the risk of drop-outs.

Most traditional, educational institutions have not grasped the difference between teaching a tool used in project management and teaching project management irrespective of a tool. The fact that Microsoft calls people capable of using MS-Project a project manager does not help make this problem go away. The problem is that these students don’t learn anything about what it takes to manage a project end-to-end. Through active involvement in PMI-SOC mentoring, we created a series of training programs that introduced the “management” side of project management, as opposed to the “mechanical” side of using specific tools. As part of this website launch, we have formalized a series of training courses which has truly changed the method by which people can currently master project management fundamentals. So, now, through our training, you can apply any project management tool and build experience consistent with PMBoK™ for a future certification as a PMP if that is what you desire.

• We have blended project management with business management knowing that many organizations turn to a project-based model for many new initiatives, without necessarily using a professional project manager to manage those initiatives. Increasingly, line-managers as well as entrepreneurs turn to project management skills to launch new business initiatives. Our model is very well suited for a blend of entrepreneurial business management and project management, as explained in other parts of this web page.


• Our PMBoK™ training and our PMP Exam Preparation training are specific programs intended for individuals who want to become PMP certified. The PMBoK™ Training program is in-depth, with practical information about how the theory relates to actual project situations. The PMP Exam Preparation training is a stand-alone course that includes simulated exams as a drill to help those candidates become familiar with the nature of the exam to increase their ability to pass.

Maintaining good standing by collecting PDUs on introductory courses and seminars wears thin after a long career in project management. There are many challenges for which solutions were implemented that are worth sharing with others in the profession. There are many ways to get educated in advanced project management subjects, but considering the challenge of earning a required number of PDUs to remain in good standing, the typical options turn into high-cost and out-of-the-way seminars. We had the privilege of discussing these needs with mentors during PMI-SOC mentoring sessions, which evolved into a series of training programs that can be made available in classroom or seminar format with a much lower investment in time and money. We have many of these courses on the website complete with an overview of what is covered.

• We offer traditional “how to” course material in managing small projects, large projects, programs, products, strategic planning, procurement planning and RFP, business cases, business continuity planning and disaster recovery, and quality assurance.


• We offer in-depth academic project management training material to review the formal definitions of project management.


• We offer business training related to project management, with the objective that the principles of different approaches are appreciated for what they can contribute, rather than how different approaches compete for acceptance.

This is a blend between teaching business courses at a college and applying business knowledge in the course of managing a business or running projects. Business courses prepare individuals for any manager or supervisory role in a business environment (albeit after climbing the career ladder while gaining a lot of practical experience in a company), or in an entrepreneurial venture (we include practical training on developing marketing plans and business cases for unique ventures). We emphasize a solid academic treatment of knowledge students are expected to gain, but we also deliver the practical skills required to take on an administrative support role.

• For budding entrepreneurs this is an ideal focus for preparing to start, and then manage, a new business opportunity. The scope of this training is in-depth, but still a blend between the theory, as taught in traditional colleges, and the practical application that people need to master in order to open a new business. We use many Excel™-based tools to help individuals complete the inevitable number crunching that is required.


• For those more interested in administrative support work, we also cover many practical subjects in a context of office supervision, including advanced training in using Excel™ and other MS-Office software products.

For many project managers this provides the missing link between a technical role and understanding a business role implied by “manager” in their title. Interaction with stakeholders is much better if it can be conducted in a business-like manner, with dollars attached to decisions. What makes it different from traditional business colleges is that project managers (and others, of course) can pick and choose the courses they feel will help them improve their stakeholder interaction. Look on our website for detailed information on what each course is intended to deliver.

Freedom 55 was never explained as becoming a surplus employee looking for work – while laws exist that make the practice illegal, it seems to be a common practice for hiring managers to shy away from older workers. To tackle this challenge head-on, we added a number of programs to accommodate 2nd-career opportunities and to prepare those individuals to establish a business of their own using a blend of specific opportunity training and more general business training at a college level. Unique features of this training include having a turn-key setup for the trainees to put everything into practice complete with the software tools to succeed. Training is low-cost, and as an on-going business is operated as a low-cost franchise (no-cost if the individual fails to launch their business) in return for on-going support and software upgrades as required.

• This is a relatively new initiative that has potential for growth by minimizing the risk of training for a career that never materializes. There are many unique applications that can be delivered either to businesses or to consumers, in many cases as a part-time and/or as an ideal retirement opportunity.


• If traditional training prepares individuals for jobs that may or may not be in demand at the time of graduation, our trainees can start to work as soon as they have mastered the skills and learned how to market their services. You will find more detailed information on our website.


• The key difference with traditional business courses is that this training is more interactive and consultative, very focused on making sure the business service is understood so that individuals can hit the ground running. The only measure of success is billable hours, and, so, we stand behind our custom training model to help students succeed in their business ventures by providing the right training fit for their needs.

For organizations and individuals with a desire and commitment to deliver training courses, we offer a great opportunity for affiliation with a link to this website, as a franchised business opportunity that enables you to bring these training courses to your community. This is a solid program of teaching materials, which furthers our objective of contributing to the community:

• our motivation behind taking a teaching job at a private college in Hamilton, Ontario, was largely giving back to the community and enjoying the reward seeing students succeed in business or embarking upon a corporate career. If you want more information on how to get involved by bringing these opportunities to your community, please review the training delivery sections on this website for detailed instructions on what it takes to create your own training business and how you can become part of this grass-roots movement.


• our operating model is outside the traditional college framework in order to facilitate life: it can be a challenge for people to fit their life obligations within the set classroom hours colleges establish for practical reasons. While we do provide opportunities to meet in a class setting, courses can also be completed independently without penalty to the student who may hold a job with shift schedules or has child-care responsibilities.


• our model does not allow issuing diplomas like a traditional college: instead we provide students with completion certificates for all the training courses they take, which can be taken in any order, so that in the end, they can advance in their current job while they gain knowledge to prepare for more advanced career opportunities or self-employment.


• our model is ideal for corporate training: employers can subscribe to, and deliver, courses as required to upgrade their workforce in a controlled and supportive manner. We can provide customized completion certificates backed by the employer to add credibility for those skills in the corporate setting, as well as to formalize those credentials as workplace learning which will have currency for future career growth anywhere.