Earning a certificate in risk management requires the successful completion of an in-depth and skill-specific training curriculum. Risk management courses are an integral and important component of this or any risk education process. These courses can be undertaken through a number of different academic and industry organizations, some of which also confer on the individual a risk certificate at the conclusion of the courses. There are several different industry associations that monitor the risk management profession, and each approaches the implementation of courses and the conferral of certificates differently.
These courses are a significant requirement of completing almost any risk management certificate. Through these courses the individual is introduced to the tenets and principles of risk oversight, including identification, assessment, mitigation, and monitoring. By completing risk education courses the individual can improve their business management and analysis skills. The majority of training curriculum’s offer these generic risk education courses, but many also offer courses in more specialized areas. The range and variety of courses that are offered should very much be considered when choosing the conferring association to work with. Particular associations are better reputations than others for the quality of courses they provide, especially in the context of specialized courses.
These courses can be completed informally and with no connection to completing a full risk certificate. Many of the same associations that confer certifications also offer short non-certificate risk education courses across a diverse array of focuses. There are also non-certificate courses offered by private organizations that are accredited by professional risk industry associations. While the individual does not earn a certificate through these accredited training curriculum’s, they can rest assured that the quality of the education meets the educational expectations of the world-recognized industry association.
Examples of courses include Fundamentals of Risk Identification, Managing Hazards in Public Sector Projects and Programming, and Practical Risk Tools – Risk Workshops and Risk Models. Most certificate associations provide detailed course descriptions for students to read and evaluate before enrolling in a particular class. It is important that individuals consider the type of industry they wish to work in when choosing the risk courses they take as voluntary courses.
Organizations that practice active risk management and in turn hire individuals who have completed a series of risk courses, or earned a risk certificate, are better prepared to effectively and efficiently achieve their goals. More importantly, they are more likely to achieve their objectives at a lower overall cost by avoiding the shocks and uncertainties their operations are exposed to. Undertaking some form of risk education is highly recommended for any individual that is involved in oversight processes within their organization, or for any individual that is interested in becoming a risk professional in the future. Those individuals that earn a risk management certification and complete the required courses and training are increasing their job market competitiveness.