The University of Maine at Presque Isle is pleased to announce that nearly 30 people completed American Management Association certificate programs in 2012-2013. UMPI has served as an extension institute of the AMA for the past 25 years, offering a multi-course curriculum leading to Certificates in Management and Human Resources Management.

“The AMA curriculum was designed for people who are looking to better prepare themselves for promotion, enhancement, and career advancement in their current or future work field,” Keith Madore, campus AMA coordinator, said. “As a partner in higher education, we’re very excited that UMPI can be a part of continuing education for working professionals in this area and we applaud our 2012-2013 graduates for completing this coursework.”

Those who received the Certificate in Management, with 90 contact hours, were: Lisa Bates from Madigan Estates; Billi Blanchard from Katahdin Trust Company; Dianne Collins from MMG Insurance; Mary Hall from Katahdin Valley Health Center; Tamra Kilcollins from Cary Medical Center; Blair McCartney from Life by Design; Lori McIntyre and Wilfred St. Peter from McCain Foods; Sherry Beaulieu, Suzanne Buckley, Donna Dean, Judy Hennessey, Pat Lamoreau, Heather Michaud, Ginette Pitre, Barbara Turner, and Karla Whittaker from TAMC; and Thomas Richard from Northern Maine Community College.

Those who received the Certificate in Human Resources, with 75 contact hours, were: Lisa Bates from Madigan Estates; Billi Blanchard from Katahdin Trust Company; Theresa Fowler from Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce; Mary Hall from Katahdin Valley Health Center; Tamra Kilcollins from Cary Medical Center; Blair McCartney from Life by Design; Thomas Richard from NMCC; and Barbara Turner from TAMC.

UMPI’s AMA program is specifically created to meet the unique needs of working professionals—classes are about 5 to 6 weeks in length, held after work hours in the fall and spring, and are cost effective. People travel from as far away as Patten and Fork Kent for these AMA classes, which, for the most part, are held at UMPI, though there is the opportunity for businesses to host AMA courses on site, and to tailor those courses to their specific organizational needs. Since the program started, there have been about 600 graduates.

Madore explained that as employees grow in their fields, they often move into management positions where they’re expected to know or develop a wide set of skills in order to do their work successfully, from budgeting to project management. He said AMA helps such professionals to hone those skills. In addition, some organizations use this as both a professional growth opportunity and a chance for employees to network with other professionals in varying fields from manufacturing, banking, insurance, health care, agriculture, and higher education.

The Certificate in Management requires six courses to be taken and the Certificate in Human Resources requires five courses. These programs are built on core classes that help students understand what a manager actually does and then apply in a work setting. Participants are free to design their own curriculum and most classes are interchangeable between both certificates. AMA instructors are seasoned professionals, experts in their fields, and sometimes are graduates of the program. Participants speak highly of the professional development training they receive.

“I started with plans for a Certificate of Management, then, after a job change, added needed courses for the Certificate in Human Resources,” recent AMA graduate Blair McCartney, of Life by Design said, “The program allowed me to take classes at my convenience. The most impressive item for me was that all presenters worked in their fields and brought a tremendous amount of personal experience to their class presentations. I still plan to take classes that pertain to my job.”

Madore said the AMA certificate programs give employees the tools they need to invest in themselves and their careers. While employees are typically nominated or suggested by their managers to help prepare them for a future leadership role, almost 40 percent of the employees that have taken these courses did so on their own initiative.

For further information about AMA or to register for an upcoming class, contact Madore at 207-768-9568 or visit www.umpi.edu/ama.