Birkbeck Collaborates With ILX to Offer New Academic Project Management and Prince2® Courses

…UK’s first national academic module to include option of PRINCE2 professional accreditation…

Thursday 6th August 2009 – ILX Group plc (ILX), the specialist best practice training company is partnering with Birkbeck, University of London to deliver a new academic postgraduate module ‘Project Management for Informatics’ (PMI) that includes learning about PRINCE2® and the option for students to get PRINCE2® accreditation with ILX Group. The postgraduate programme MSc in Information Systems & Management in which the PMI module is compulsory starts in October 2009. Details can be found on www.dcs.bbk.ac.uk/courses/mism

In addition to the postgraduate module, Birkbeck is also offering a short course Project Management with PRINCE2® where delegates have the option to get PRINCE2® formal accreditation directly with ILX Group. The short course includes an evening workshop hosted by Birkbeck and 40 hours e-learning by ILX. Courses start monthly: 19th August 2009, 17th September 2009 and 23rd October 2009. Online registration is available from www.dcs.bbk.ac.uk/courses/prince2.

Dr. David Wilson, Programme Director of the MSc in Information Systems & Management, Birkbeck, University of London comments: “PRINCE2 is a well known and widely respected project management qualification in high demand. A high percentage of job adverts appearing in recent editions of Computer Weekly included PRINCE2 as a requirement for mid-career computing roles. The PRINCE2 qualification also has a wide appeal to those working in general management and finance roles. We chose to partner with ILX as they are well respected and the biggest International provider of PRINCE accreditation.”

“Birkbeck has promoted lifelong learning for almost two centuries. This course extends our management and information systems provision to particular specialised continuing professional development. By collaborating with specialist organisations like the ILX Group, Birkbeck can offer alumni and other mature students, support with specialised CPD and professional activities as well as our traditional academic educational development.

All holders of the PRINCE2® foundation and practitioner qualifications can apply for credits on the Project Management for Informatics module as part of the MSc in Information Systems & Management.

This innovative collaboration is a positive example of how universities and personnel development organisations can collaborate to better respond to employer demand.”

Eddie Kilkelly, Chief Operating Officer, ILX Group plc, says: “We are delighted to be collaborating with Birkbeck and developing closer links with academic institutions.”

Kilkelly adds: “As projects become more global and in many cases the project team are dispersed in more than one location, the process of project management becomes even more critical and complex. Blended learning – a mix of classroom and e-learning – offers the best of both worlds because it delivers knowledge and supports skills attainment, while meeting the demand for a quick, effective and cost efficient learning. The PRINCE2 module will help equip delegates to have a good mix of skills that they can take and apply immediately in the workplace.”

-Ends-

NOTES TO EDITOR

PRINCE2® is a process-based approach for project management, providing an easily tailored and scalable project management methodology for the management of all types of projects. The method is the de-facto standard for project management in the UK and is practiced worldwide.

About Birkbeck, University of London

Birkbeck is a world-class research and teaching university institution, a vibrant centre of academic excellence and London’s only specialist provider of evening and weekend higher education. Birkbeck offers a wide range of academic courses from post-graduate to certificate level. Students choose to study at Birkbeck because of high quality teaching, the flexibility of studying part-time and the chance to experience and contribute to an inspiring mix of about 19,000 mature students.

About ILX Group plc

ILX Group plc (ILX), founded in 1988, provides flexible training services through a blend of traditional classroom, workshops, innovative multimedia e-learning and implementation consultancy involving real life case studies and scenarios. Courses are provided in programme and project management, IT service management and business finance and are aligned to the best practice of the Office of Government Commerce and the Association for Project Management, primarily in PRINCE2®, MSP™, ITIL®

All of our training materials and quality systems are accredited by The APM Group, ISEB, CMI, APM and EXIN as appropriate. ILX has over 4,000 customers across 16 countries and these include BP, Ernst & Young, HM Prison Service, Home Office, NatWest, Norwich Union, Royal Bank of Scotland, Staffordshire County Council, T Mobile and Vodafone. The company, which has offices in London, Cheshire, Berkshire and the US, was quoted on AIM in 2000. For further information visit www.ilxgroup.com

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