Preparatory Institute for Project Management

2025 Courses Full.

Registration for 2026 Courses Opens February 17th at noon EST.

What Is It?

  • An online program, intended to be a precursor to the MCAA’s Institute for Project Management, overseen by the same committee that manages the IPM and AIPM.
  • A 12-week curriculum, taught as a series of 90-minute classes, covering topics fundamental to project management at an introductory level.

Who Should Attend?

  • Individuals on the project management track, who have relatively little (0-3 years) experience.
  • This includes:
    • Assistant Project Managers
    • Project Engineers
    • Recent college graduates
    • Employees transitioning from field to office, or from estimating to project management

Course Structure

  • Pre-IPM is designed and taught by 6 experienced contractors and professional instructors who have first-hand understanding of the challenges facing project managers, and the skills required to meet those challenges.
  • Each session is a combination of lecture and Q&A, ensuring that students are involved in a dynamic learning experience.
  • Participants will complete weekly quizzes and homework assignments, demonstrating what they have learned.
  • Upon completion of all course requirements (lectures, quizzes, and homework), students will receive MCAA Pre-IPM certification.

Curriculum Overview by Topic

  • Understanding The Project Manager’s Role
  • Planning: The Key to Successful Projects
  • The Project Manager’s Impact on Productivity
  • Knowing Your Costs, Catching Problems Early, and Getting Paid
  • Documentation: Why Great Projects Need Great Records
  • Project Scheduling: The Importance of Having a Clear Game Plan
  • Relationships Are Everything: Understanding Yourself and Managing Others
  • Being A Professional: Problem-Solving and Issue Resolution
  • Change Orders 101: Identification, Importance, and Management
  • Time Management & Personal Efficiency
  • Leadership at All Levels: Your Ability to Influence Others
  • Project Completion: Starting Strong and Finishing Stronger

How Will This Benefit My Workforce?

  • The Pre-IPM curriculum is designed to build participants’ understanding of key components of mechanical project management.
  • Pre-IPM will improve participants’ efficiency, management skills, and ability to adapt to change. Practical application is a core focus, and participants will walk away from each session with new ideas and skills to apply to their jobs.

Participation Requirements

  • Students must attend all 12 lectures. Lectures will not be recorded.
  • Students must complete all quizzes and submit all homework assignments by their respective deadlines to be eligible for Pre-IPM certification.
  • Students must be able to participate on a computer (not a tablet or phone), with audio and video capability and a reliable high-speed internet connection that allows video streaming. Each student must be signed in on their own computer, and must be prepared to come onscreen and ask/respond to questions.

2026 Course Dates and Future Schedule

  • Pre-IPM is run once a year, with multiple courses being offered during the same timeframe.
  • All 2026 courses will begin the week of April 27th and conclude the week of July 27th, 2026.
    • There will be no classes the weeks of May 25th or June 29th, due to holidays.
  • ‘Morning’ classes (even-numbered) will take place 11:00am-12:30pm EDT (8:00am-9:30am PDT).
  • ‘Afternoon’ classes (odd-numbered) will take place 2:30pm-4pm EDT (11:30am-1pm PDT).
  • Participants must attend all sessions to be eligible for certification.

Tuesday Classes

Wednesday Classes

    Registration

    2026 REGISTRATION SCHEDULE

    • Registration for our 2026 Pre-IPM courses will open at noon EST on February 17th, 2026.
    • Registration is first-come, first-served.
    • There is no limit on the number of participants a company may enroll.
    • All registration will be done online, via this webpage. Once a registration period opens, links to registration will be provided in this section.
    • Lectures are live (not recorded) and participants must attend all lectures to be eligible for certification.

    GENERAL INFORMATION

    • The 2026 tuition rate for MCAA members will be $1,075 per student.
    • Non-members who are union mechanical contractors may register for $2,500 per student, or can reach out to Jan Grillo, Director of Membership Engagement (jgrillo@mcaa.org) to discuss membership options.
    • Tuition is payable online during registration. Refunds will not be issued after the first day of class, nor for partial completion of the program.

    Questions?