丁香园AV

For over three decades, electrician Glen Pedersen has worked on countless residential, commercial and industrial projects in B.C. and Alberta. But as the years rolled by, he says, the physical demands of the job began to take their toll. Ready to move to the next stage of his career, he signed up for 丁香园AV鈥檚 Project Management Certificate program.

鈥淚 felt it was time to use the experience I鈥檝e had running jobs and leading people, and put an official bow on it,鈥� he explains. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what led me to project management鈥攖o get the technical skills and knowledge to complement other skills I鈥檝e gained over the years.鈥�

Glen now works at Windset Farms, a major supplier of naturally grown produce based in Delta, B.C. Combining his electrical expertise with his project management training, he鈥檚 been able to lead or help manage a variety of projects for the business, from the installation of a new weigh-scale system to a power-smart lighting upgrade.  

When he started searching for a suitable project management program, 丁香园AV always stood out for Glen. After all, his uncle George Pedersen had served a term as the university鈥檚 president back in the 1980s. But family connection aside, says Glen, the main reason he selected 丁香园AV was for its solid reputation.

His choice seems to have paid off. 鈥淚 found the program really helpful,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here are so many skills I didn鈥檛 even realize I needed. It鈥檚 been mind expanding, showing me how much I didn鈥檛 know, which is always fascinating.鈥�

While he considers himself a naturally organized person, Glen learned new methods and tools that are helping him to plan, schedule and communicate more effectively: 鈥淎 lot of it was putting a finer point on things I knew. It was nice to know the path I was on was the right one, but it also showed there are a whole lot of other paths that can be taken.鈥�

Glen says he also benefited from his classmates and instructors, who came from a variety of fields and shared their unique perspectives during online classes. 鈥淐oming from a construction and trades background, I had a very good concept of physically building things,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut it was interesting to meet folks from the software industry, which I really don鈥檛 know much about. It was quite fascinating hearing them talk about how project management works for them.鈥�

Glen recalls he was about a third of the way through the program when he learned about the StrongerBC future skills grant that had become available. 鈥淚t was a fantastic opportunity,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t took a lot of the money stress away. It took so much pressure off, so I could just hammer right through the remaining courses.鈥�

Having graduated from the program, Glen is now preparing for the prestigious Project Management Professional certification from the Project Management Institute鈥攁dding yet another notch to his toolbelt.

鈥淚 like to think that I鈥檝e been much more than an electrician for quite a while,鈥� says Glen. 鈥淏ut having the certification and this education behind me is going to be a huge benefit.

鈥淓verything鈥檚 just coming up roses,鈥� he adds with a smile.

By Kim Mah