Workforce and Professional Development
Working Adult Education Programs
The University of the Potomac Workforce and Professional Development site provides training opportunities required to obtain employment in today’s most competitive job positions. Professionals can schedule classes at times that are convenient for their busy schedules.
Why You Should Choose University of the Potomac
With our intimate campus, flexible schedules and industry-specific learning models, University of the Potomac offers an ideal environment for working adults looking to take their education to the next level.
- Accreditation: University of the Potomac is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, (267) 284-5000.
- Simple Transfer of Credits: We will make your transfer experience a smooth one.
- Generous Credit Transfer Policy: See how courses you have taken can be transferred to our university.
- Market-Driven Curriculum: Potomac teaches students to master professional and technical skills needed to compete in today’s highly competitive job markets.
- Multiple Types of Financing Options and Scholarships: Available to those who qualify
- Flexible Learning Format: Classes are available at campuses in Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, and Online.
- Flexible Schedule Day: Evening and weekends classes are available.
- Small Class Sizes: Class sizes are small for more personal attention.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Course Overview:
This course is the first in a series of four to equip you with the skills you need to apply to introductory-level roles in project management. Project managers play a key role in leading, planning and implementing critical projects to help their organizations succeed. In this course, you’ll discover foundational project management terminology and gain a deeper understanding of the role and responsibilities of a project manager. No previous experience is necessary.
Students will learn:
- What project management is and describe what constitutes a project.
- The project management roles and responsibilities across a variety of industries.
- The core skills that help a project manager be successful.
- The life cycle of a project and explain the significance of each phase.
- To compare different program management methodologies and approaches and determine which is most effective for a given project.
- Organizational structure and culture and explain how it impacts project management.
- What change management is and describe the role of the project manager in the process.
Course Overview:
This is the second course in the Certificate program. This course will show students how to set a project up for success. Students learn how to define and manage project goals, deliverables, scope, and success criteria. Students will learn how to use tools and templates like stakeholder analysis grids and project charters to help set project expectations and communicate roles and responsibilities.
Students will learn:
- The significance of the project initiation phase of the project life cycle.
- The key components of the project initiation phase.
- How to determine a project’s benefits and costs.
- How to define and create measurable project goals and deliverables.
- How to define project scope and differentiate among tasks that are in-scope and out-of-scope
- How to manage scope creep to avoid impacting project goals.
- How to define and measure a project’s success criteria.
- How to complete a stakeholder analysis and explain its significance.
- How to define and communicate project team member responsibilities.
- The key components of project charters and develop a project charter for project initiation.
- How to evaluate various project management tools to meet project needs.
Course Overview:
This is the third course in the Project Management Certificate program. This course will teach students how to plan a project. Students will examine the key components of a project plan, how to make accurate time estimates, and how to set milestones. Next, students will learn how to develop and manage a budget and how the procurement processes work. Then, you will discover tools that can help you identify and manage different types of risk and how to use a risk management plan to communicate and resolve risks. Finally, Students will learn how to draft and manage a communication plan and how to organize project documentation.
Students will learn:
- Describe the components of the project planning phase and their significance
- Explain why milestones are important and how to set them.
- Make accurate time estimates and describe techniques for acquiring them from team members. – Identify tools and best practices to build a project plan and risk management plan.
- Describe how to estimate, track, and maintain a budget.
- Explain the procurement process and identify key procurement documentation.
- Draft a communication plan and explain how to manage it.
- Explain why milestones are important and how to set them.
- Explain why a project plan is necessary and what components it contains.
- Make accurate time estimates and describe techniques for acquiring them from team members.
Course Overview:
This is the fourth course in the Project Management Certificate program. This course will delve into the execution and closing phases of the project life cycle. Students will learn what aspects of a project to track and how to track them. Students will also learn how to effectively manage and communicate changes, dependencies, and risks. As you explore quality management, you will learn how to measure customer satisfaction and implement continuous improvement and process improvement techniques. Next, you will examine how to prioritize data, how to use data to inform your decision-making, and how to effectively present that data. Then, students will strengthen their leadership skills as they learn the stages of team development and how to manage team dynamics. After that, you will discover tools that provide effective project team communication, how to organize and facilitate meetings, and how to effectively communicate project status updates. Finally, students will examine the steps of the project closing process and how to create and share project closing documentation.
Students will learn:
- Identify what aspects of a project to track and compare different tracking methods.
- Discuss how to effectively manage and communicate changes, dependencies, and risks.
- Explain the key quality management concepts of quality standards, quality planning, quality assurance, and quality control.
- Describe how to create continuous improvement and process improvement and how to measure customer satisfaction.
- Explain the purpose of a retrospective and describe how to conduct one.
- Demonstrate how to prioritize and analyze data and how to communicate a project’s data-informed story.
- Identify tools that provide effective project team communication and explore best practices for communicating project status updates.
- Describe the steps of the closing process for stakeholders, the project team, and project managers.
Course Overview:
This course will explore the history, approach, and philosophy of Agile project management, including the Scrum framework. You will learn how to differentiate and blend Agile and other project management approaches. As you progress through the course, you will learn more about Scrum, exploring its pillars and values and comparing essential Scrum team roles. You will discover how to build, manage, and refine a product backlog, implement Agile value-driven delivery strategies, and define a value roadmap. You will also learn strategies to effectively organize the five important Scrum events for a Scrum team, introduce an Agile or Scrum approach to an organization, and coach an Agile team.
Students will learn:
- Explain the Agile project management approach and philosophy, including values and principles
- Explain the pillars of Scrum and how they support Scrum values
- Identify and compare the essential roles in a Scrum team and what makes them effective
- Build and manage a Product Backlog and perform Backlog Refinement
- Describe the five important Scrum events and how to set up each event for a Scrum team
- Implement Agile value-driven delivery strategies and define a value roadmap
- Explain how to coach an Agile team and help them overcome challenges
CONTRACTING CERTIFICATE
Course Overview:
This course acquaints students with the legal and regulatory aspects associated with the administration of government contracts. Course topics include contract information and award protests, standards of conduct, governmental liability, the dispute process, and administrative and judicial methods of resolution of procurement and contract disputes. It is designed to give students an operating framework to understand government procurement law.
Students will learn:
- The elements of a contract and the Federal Governments’ authority to contract
- The law of agency
- About basic statutes, regulations, case law, and administrative law that define the federal acquisition system
- About sources of commercial terms and conditions
- How to recognize and avoid situations having legal liability
Course Overview:
This course examines both FAR and DFARS process and introduces concepts, policies and procedures associated with government and defense contracting. This course helps students develop skill in selecting the right clauses, identify the correct procedures and improve their bargaining position during negotiations. In addition, students learn how to keep up with changes to the FAR so they can always be sure that they have the latest and most relevant information
Students will learn:
- How to apply DFAR Clauses to Contracts
- To correctly use applicable forms for acquisition
- To cite various sections of the DFARs
- To understand the DFAR Clauses, the regulation System and roles of the Contracting Officer
- To recognize key terms and definitions
- To plan for acquisition and/or proposals
- To execute effective market research
- To determine Conflicts of Interest
- How contracts are advertised and awarded
- How to determine methods and contract vehicles
- How to keep up with changing regulations
Course Overview:
Students are introduced to the concept and fundamental techniques of Performance based contracting (PBC) and its application to contract management. Skills to immediately develop and implement performance-based requirements, a performance work statement, quality assurance plans, performance standards and measures, and positive and negative incentives. The course utilizes (PBSA) guides and tools as prescribed by the industry.
Students will learn:
- Introduction to Performance-Based Contracting
- Acquisition Planning
- Identifying the Need
- Preparing the Statement of Work
- Statements of Objectives
- The Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan
- Developing the Award Strategy
- Contract Award
- Contract Administration and Living with the SOW
Course Overview:
This course examines acquisition and material management. Students will examine the functional roles and social and ethical responsibilities of individuals managing these areas. Topics include acquisition law, operations management, pricing, negotiations, logistics and the written and oral communication of issues affecting purchasing and materials management
Students will learn:
- About Purchasing and Materials administration
- About Logistics and Materials management
- About Purchasing techniques
- About Specification and quality management
- About Source selection
- About Price management
- About Time management
- About stock control techniques
- The legal applications in procurement management
TECHNOLOGY COURSES / CERTIFICATES
Course Overview:
AWS Academy Cloud Developing is designed to help students gain technical expertise in development using cloud technologies and prepare them to take the AWS Certified Developer – Associate level AWS Certification exam. The curriculum is delivered through instructor-led classes, knowledge assessments, and hands-on labs. Students will also have access to course manuals, online knowledge assessments, a free practice certification exam, and a discount voucher for the certification exam.
Students will learn:
- Recall cloud computing services and models.
- Describe developing on AWS.
- Configure AWS Identity and Access Management for programmatic access.
- Configure storage with Amazon S3 programmatically
- Develop with DynamoDB.
- Explain caching.
- Configure containers.
- Develop event-driven solutions with Lambda.
- Configure solutions with API Gateway.
- Develop solutions with SQS and SNS.
- Describe the use of Step Functions.
- Identify best practice for building secure applications.
- Identify best practice for deploying applications.
Course Overview:
AWS Academy Machine Learning Foundations introduces students to the concepts and terminology of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning. By the end of this course, students will be able to select and apply machine learning services to resolve business problems. They will also be able to label, build, train, and deploy a custom machine-learning model through a guided, hands-on approach.
Students will learn:
- Describe machine learning (ML)
- Implement a machine learning pipeline using Amazon PageMaker
- Use managed Amazon ML services for forecasting
- Use managed Amazon ML services for computer vision
- Use managed Amazon ML services for natural language processing
Course Overview:
AWS Academy Data Analytics is a series of lab exercises that teach students how to conduct Big Data analysis with practical, real-world examples. Students will learn how to analyze extremely large data sets, and to create visual representations of that data, using a case-study approach. The labs and learning resources are designed to supplement an institution’s existing Big Data and data analytics courses and provide students with hands-on experience working with data at scale. Geared toward students interested in pursuing careers in data analysis, AWS Academy Data Analytics requires a strong foundation in IT concepts and skills, and it contains seven-and-a-half hours of content.
Students will learn:
- Describe big data analytical concepts.
- Ingest, store, and secure data.
- Query a data store with manual schema specification.
- Query a data store with automated schema generation.
- Load and query data in a data warehouse
- Visualize structured and unstructured data.
- Automate loading data into a data warehouse.
- Analyze unstructured data.
- Analyze IoT data
Course Overview:
This course introduces the student to programming using multiple programming languages and technologies. The course gives the student all-rounded experience needed to practice programming in a real-world production environment. It provides the student with theoretical as well as practical experience with popular development platforms, tools, technologies, and multiple programming languages.
Students will learn:
- Describe core Python programming concepts, including how to configure tools for Python code and write fully functional programs using data structures
- Examine core data science techniques and concepts using Python, including using data analysis libraries and developing data visualization skills
- Apply core principles of object-oriented programming and Java to write fully functional programs using classes and methods, and perform unit testing
- Understand Java inheritance and apply techniques for parsing text in files, using advanced data structures to store information, and debugging code
Course Overview:
The Cyber Security program provides training for an entry-level career in Cyber Security industry. The program will focus on security information, procedures and processes used in all types of business, governmental, non-profit environments. The program includes training in security basics, networks basics and defense, identity and access management, cryptography concepts, system administration, logging and monitoring, programming, web security, project management, and threats and vulnerabilities.
Students will learn:
- Use network assessment tools to gauge the security posture of an organization
- Implement access management controls and account management practices
- Identify, compare, and contrast different types of attacks and related impacts
- Use a programming language to automate system administration tasks
- Use theoretical models and specific technical knowledge to secure web applications
Course Overview:
Students completing this course will be skilled in the following areas: Data Analysis, Hypothesis Testing, Data Visualization, Metric Development, Process Control, Machine Learning, Modeling, and Optimization. Students will learn to do these analyses using Python and R. This is an instructor led or instructor supported training course that targets the needs of individuals who want to start a career in data analysis and data science.
Students will learn:
- Mine datasets for better understanding
- Create metrics, and implement monitoring plans
- Create models for prediction and planning
- Implement Machine Learning algorithms 143
- Use regression analysis to explain relationships
- Create visualizations
- Test various hypotheses in a designed experiment
Course Overview:
Students completing this course will be skilled in the following areas: JavaScript, HTML, CSS, REST API, Web application servers, SQL and NoSQL database systems, Git source control system. This is an instructor led or instructor supported training course that targets the needs of individuals who want to start a career in web development in applying the latest web languages and software programming concepts, such as: authentication and authorization, RESTful APIs, and advanced database structures such as many to many relationships. It will allow for job opportunities in fields such as: front end development and back-end development.
Students will learn:
- Understand and use JavaScript
- Develop and maintain websites using HTML
- Control the style and layout of multiple webpages using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
- Implement server-side functionality using a back-end programming language Build and deploy standalone console applications
- Use a front-end framework such as Angular or React to produce interactive UIs
- Build web enabled applications using a web framework
- Build service-oriented, n-tier applications 147
- Develop SQL and NoSQL based database applications
Workshops
During the first half of 2023 the following workshops will be conducted. These workshops are FREE to all UOTP students and the public. These workshops are offered to keep students and professionals aware of changing technology and best practices in multiple industries. If you are interested participating in any of these workshops just click on the “To register” link and do so.
February 23, 2023 – 7:PM – 8:30
Amazon Web Services Certifications
Getting AWS Certified can help you propel your career, whether you are looking to find a new role, highlight your skills to take on a new project, or become your team’s go-to expert. And because AWS Certification exams are created by experts in the relevant role or technical area, preparing for one of these exams helps you build the required skills identified by skilled practitioners in the field. This workshop presents an overview of the AWS certifications and the training required to obtain them.
March 24, 2023 – 7:PM – 8:30
Project Management / Agile / Skills, Certifications, Job Opportunities
Project managers play a key role in leading, planning and implementing critical projects to help their organizations succeed. This workshop introduces you to project management terminology and provides an understanding of the role and responsibilities of a project manager. The workshop will also include a discussion of the various project management certifications in demand in the workforce. The workshop will involve employment representatives discussing job opportunities.
April 27, 2023 – 7:PM – 8:30
Geospatial Information Technology (GIS)
GIS is an emerging field of study that includes Geographic Information System (GIS), Remote Sensing (RS), and Global Positioning System (GPS). Geospatial technology enables us to acquire data that is referenced to the earth and use it for analysis, modeling, simulations, and visualization. This workshop will cover opportunities and education requirements to be successful in the GIS space.
May 26, 2023 – 7:PM – 8:30PM
Hospitality – SERV Safe certifications for Hotel and Restaurant Professionals
ServSafe is a food and beverage safety training and certificate program administered by the U.S. National Restaurant Association. This workshop will involve a discussion on the hospitality business and the requirement to be successful with employment and certifications. Our chef will discuss the ServSafe Food Handler Certification and other opportunities to obtain employment in the hospitality industry.
June 29, 2023 – 7:PM – 8:30PM
Healthcare – Technology, Certifications and Career Opportunities
This workshop will involve a discussion about the opportunities in the healthcare profession and the healthcare certification training available.
July 28, 2023 – 7:PM – 8:30PM
Pervasive Computing / Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Pervasive computing and computer vision apply machine learning and artificial intelligence that take data from digital images, and videos to make meaningful decisions based on that data. Machine learning has improved computer vision about recognition and tracking. This workshop demonstrates the skills needed to find employment in these trending technologies. The workshop will involve employment representatives discussing job opportunities.
Contact Us
Employment support services and career advising:
David A. Kimble, Ph.D. PMP
Dr. Kimble is a business consultant specializing in program management, information technology, organizational leadership, strategic planning, risk management and organizational governance. Before retiring in 2015, Dr. Kimble worked for the Federal Government for many years. His last assignment was with the Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA provides financial assistance, counseling and training to the nation’s small businesses. Dr. Kimble served as a Program / Portfolio Manager and Information Technology (IT) expert. Dr. Kimble managed SBA special program initiatives and technology oversight for 69 SBA Field offices and 10 Regional offices. Dr. Kimble’s true passion is engaging and learning with professionals. Dr. Kimble teaches IT, Business and Management courses at several universities in the Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia areas. Dr. Kimble is an honor graduate with a bachelor’s Degree in Information Systems Technology and a master’s Degree in Management Administration. Dr. Kimble completed his PhD in Global Business and Leadership. Dr. Kimble is certified in Project Management, Cloud Computing and Blockchain Technology. Dr. Kimble is President and CEO of a small business, PMPVIEW LLC, which prepares professionals for the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam. Dr. Kimble is a U.S. Air Force Veteran, married with three children and lives in Prince Georges County Maryland. Dr. Kimble is very active in his community, he coaches youth basketball, football and swimming though the Maryland Park and Planning Commission Community Centers.
Degree and Program Options
With a curriculum geared towards working adults, every program is carefully adjusted to reflect today’s industry standards. A majority of courses are specific to each student’s field of study, so the number of general education courses is minimized. This enables you to delve into your chosen area of study more quickly, allowing you to spend more time actually studying the topics most critical to your career and life goals.
