PMO Learning and Development

Which PMO Course is Right For You?

Choosing the right course is important, that's why we've created our simple four levels which make it easier for you to make the right choices.

At each level there are PMO certification courses and our specialist courses.

Each level is aligned to typical PMO career paths and highlights which courses people opt for based on their experience and skill levels.

Read more about the right course for you

Getting Trained By PMO Learning

PMO Learning offers open public scheduled courses and courses delivered in-house at a location you choose.

All our courses are available in-house to allow all your PMO team to be trained together.

Our open public scheduled courses are easy to view and book by taking a look at the live Training Schedule.

PMO Learning & Development

PMO Levels READ MORE

Aligning Development READ MORE

PMO Certifications READ MORE

PMO Specialist Training READ MORE

PMO Levels

The PMO levels have been chosen because they’re simple and not tied to any specific type of PMO. We’ve chosen the four levels because that’s what we see reflected in organisations today. The levels have also been chosen because although each PMO may be unique to a specific organisation, there are recognised career stages that PMO practitioners can progress through if they so wish. The following breakdown gives further insights about... Read more

characteristics at each level.

The four levels are:

Level 1 – New to Working in PMO
- These roles are entry level
- Mainly working in programme or project support
- Job titles include; Project Administrator, Project Co-ordinator, Project Support Officer
- Assumes that knowledge is needed in both project management AND PMO.
Level 2 – Supporting Portfolio, Programmes and Projects
- These are the various roles found that support portfolio, programme and project delivery
- Can include those working in a PMO – or supporting singular projects and programmes
- Tends to be practitioners who have been working in the role for 2 years+
- Job titles include; PMO Analyst, Programme Co-ordinator, Project Co-ordinator, Project Support Officer
- Assumes that more advanced knowledge is needed in portfolio, programme and project management AND advanced topics in PMO.
Level 3 – Leading and Managing PMOs
- For PMO practitioners at the management level of PMO
- Assumes practitioners are setting up and/or ongoing management of PMOs. Tends to be singular PMOs – a portfolio office, programme office or project office
- Experienced practitioners who have worked within the project management field for a number of years
- Job titles include; PMO Manager, PMO Lead, Head of PMO, Portfolio Office Manager, Programme Office Manager, Project Office Manager.
- Assumes that advanced knowledge is needed in PMO design, set up, management and improvement
Level 4 – Managing and Directing PMOs
- For PMO practitioners at the director / enterprise level of PMO
- Practitioners are designing, setting up and managing enterprise level PMOs across the organisation. Likely to be responsible for multiple PMOs.
- Assumes practitioners have advanced experience and knowledge in portfolio, programme and project management AND PMO organisational design.
- Job titles include; Head of PMO, PMO Director, Director of PMO, ePMO Manager
- Practitioners will be working at a senior/board level within the organisation.

Aligning Development

At PMO Learning we align the different PMO training and development options to the different levels. We have both PMO certification courses and specialist courses (non-certified) for PMO practitioners to pursue throughout their career. We advise starting with the core certification courses – these tend to vary in length from 3 to 5 days – with the aim that a PMO practitioner takes a certification course every 2 to 3 years... Read more

depending on the role or level they are working at.

Alongside the core certification courses are our specialist courses. These are shorter courses that go deeper into certain topic areas. PMO practitioners are advised to think about their development in specific skills gap areas and consider short courses alongside other self-development activities.

Find out more about the two areas for learning & development for PMO practitioners below.

PMO Certifications

PMO Learning offers two core PMO certifications. Each certification offers something slightly different to each other and we have aligned each one of them to the four levels of PMO experience. Aligning against the levels gives you a quick reference on which certifications are most likely to be the right one for you. We’re on hand to talk you through the options if you need further detail at any time. AXELOS... Read more

– Portfolio, Programme and Project Offices (P3O)

P3O Foundation is suitable for those having worked in a support role for over two years or more. It’s a great certification to do if you’re wanting to learn more about the different types of PMOs that exist and the services they provide. It’s a 3-day course.

P3O Practitioner is aimed at those who are managing or looking to moving into a management role in PMO and specifically looking to implement a PMO. This is a 2-day course and you must already have the P3O Foundation. Lots of people opt to do both the Foundation and Practitioner together in 5 days.

The PMO Essentials from the House of PMO

The House of PMO, a new professional body for PMO professionals are launching four new PMO certifications this year.

The House of PMO mission, which we 100% support, is to create a home for PMO professionals where they can develop themselves, support the development of others and contribute to the development of the PMO profession.

The first level course – PMO Essentials for PMO Administrators – is now available to book through PMO Learning.

The certifications are called PMO Essentials and the four include:

PMO Essentials for PMO Administrators
PMO Essentials for PMO Analysts (launching September 2021)
PMO Essentials for PMO Managers (launching December 2021)
PMO Essentials for PMO Directors (launching February 2022)

The certification courses will be accredited by APMG, the global examination institute, and the first level is now available.

PMO Learning will be the first accredited training organisation (ATO) licenced to deliver the new courses.

PMO Specialist Training

Certification based training is a good starting place for any PMO practitioner and sets the foundation for further training and development in the breadth and depth of PMO. PMO Learning continues to design, create and deliver additional shorter courses in key areas for PMO professionals. We listen to what PMO practitioners working today are finding challenging and need further knowledge and skills to overcome them. Our specialist courses are developed inhouse... Read more

alongside leading experts in their field. All our specialist courses have been designed specifically for those working in PMO.

Current specialist courses include:

Lean-Agile PMO – for PMO professionals learning to support both traditional and Agile projects in their organisation
Agile Frameworks and the PMO – for PMO practitioners looking to learn about enterprise level Agile frameworks such as SAFe.
Setting Up a PMO – setting up a Project Management Office is available for anyone tasked with this business requirement.
Coaching Skills for the PMO – coaching techniques for PMO professionals looking to improve problem-solving and team collaboration
Facilitation for the PMO – the APMG Foundation certification in Facilitation for PMO professionals looking to improve their facilitation skills
Understanding Benefits Management – a key challenge area for many PMO professionals, this course provides the fundamentals.

For further details on the specialist PMO courses [take a look at the PMO specialist courses here]

Find out more about our courses

> Get started with PMO Certifications