At WGI, our core values aren’t just a set of words; they’re something we live by – And when we found ourselves in need of dynamic and motivated Project Managers (a role often referred to as the most challenging within our industry) to manage projects across the nation, our team jumped on the opportunity to exemplify our ‘Passion for People’ yet again.
As opposed to sourcing external talent to fill our needs, as organizations often do, our team elected to seize this opportunity to further invest in the professional growth and development of our associates in the form of a Texas PM Accelerator Training Program – An empowering training program for PMs, by PMs!
The Texas PM Accelerator Training Program was brought to life by one simple question: Why source new talent when you can invest in the growth and development of your existing team? And that’s just what we did!
Led by our very own ‘Chancellor’ – Katie Bolger, a Civil Project Manager out of our Austin, TX, office, and ‘Dean of Students’ – Shayna Johnson, a Senior Civil Project Manager out of our Houston, TX, office, the inaugural program truly took every consideration into account, with the incorporation of seasoned Project Managers/Market leaders, and a carefully crafted syllabus sure to elevate even the most ‘green’ of associates up to speed on all things Project Management.
Shayna Johnson described a key “why” behind the program, stating:
“A large part of the “why” behind this training was to provide our up-and-coming Project Managers with the opportuntity to collaborate and get to know their new peer group on a deeper level to establish a network of colleagues & resources to lean on when tackline the variety of challenges that PMs can face on the day-to-day. When first discussing a potential training program, our team simply loved the idea of a “graduating class” as a group of individuals at the same phase in their career, coming into a new role and new challenges together.”
“WGI often recognizes Project Management as being one of the most challenging roles within our organization, and we wanted to make sure that we were doing everything within our power to ease our associates into their new roles as an opportunity and challenge that they looked forward to taking on.”
The program was broken into eight training sessions/modules, with each session covering a different aspect of Project Management, such as:
Each lesson was led by a member of WGI’s award-winning team, possessing in-depth knowledge and on-the-job experience for given topics. Project Managers, Market Leaders, and Support Staff from throughout WGI shared not only detailed information on the given topic(s) but also provided valuable resources and unique experiences/use cases that our ‘now-graduates’ can reference and apply throughout their careers.
A training program that proved as beneficial to WGI as it has to the growth and development of the associates who completed it; a few of our graduates reflected on their learnings and experiences in stating the following:
“I would recommend this training to anyone looking to explore a career in Project Management. The program is setting a bedrock of what we expect from different Project Managers and how they’re expected to operate within our team. It definitely provided me with a set of skills that I can now fall back on, and I now have a group of people that I went through the training with that I can also fall back on.”
“I love the fact that WGI is investing in their employees and are willing to let us go through this training program with current Project Managers. Allowing experienced WGI PMs to put the training program together is going to be really helpful for all of us moving forward.”
“We’re learning a lot about the experiences of tenured Project Managers. When it comes time to lead our own teams, I believe that this will help us to act as better leaders ourselves by understanding what others have encountered and applying their learnings.”
At the conclusion of WGI’s inaugural Texas PM Accelerator Training Program, five associates were invited to attend a graduation ceremony at the Meanwhile Brewery in the heart of Austin, TX.
The event kicked off with graduates providing their own solutions to some of the most comprehensive challenges that Project Managers face, after which they received feedback from the Project Managers, Market Leaders, and Support Staff in attendance. Once complete, the formal graduation ceremony finally commenced!
The program ‘Chancellor,’ Katie Bolger, gave an inspiring speech as she applauded each student, who dressed the part in full cap and gown, on their accomplishments. Sayna Johnson, the program’s Dean of Students,’ then handed each student their diploma and sent them down the ‘Graduation Slide,’ symbolizing each student’s ‘sliding’ into success.
Of the five graduates, three have already been promoted to the role of Project Manager, with the remaining two likely to follow shortly thereafter!
Are you interested in joining an industry-leading firm that provides unique learning experiences and cultivates an environment where associates can enjoy what they do as much as who they do it with? Then WGI is the place for you!
Visit our Careers Page today to seek out the perfect career opportunity for you!
WGI is a national design and professional services firm leading in technology-based solutions for the construction of public infrastructure and real estate development. At WGI, we’re providing Tomorrow’s Infrastructure Solutions Today.
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