Why should higher education institutions carry out project management education?
What are the innovative pathways in project management education?
How to improve the talent cultivation competitiveness through project management education?
What kind of project management skills will affect future career development?
With the advancement of education, innovations in project management are also rising. On the afternoon of June 6, in the Lecture Hall of Xi'an Eurasia University Library, the "Higher Education Institution Forum on Project Management and CAPM Certification Press Conference" co-hosted by the Project Management Institute (PMI) and Xi'an Eurasia University was successfully held.
With "Project Management for College Students Education and Ability Cultivation" as the core topic, the forum brought together industry authorities such as PMI Global Vice President Chen Yongtao, AFP China Region Director Bai Junjiang, PMI (China) Key Account Director Jin Zhiwei, PMI (China) Marketing Manager Chen Zifei, as well as representatives from Xi'an Eurasia University, including: Professor Wang Yan, Vice President of Xi'an Eurasia University; Wu Lijuan, Director of the Office of Academic Research; Wu Rui, Executive Dean of the School of Data Science; and Fang Fang, Vice Dean of the School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering. They were joined by colleagues from higher education institutions, such as Xidian University, Xi'an Technological University, Shangluo University, and Xi'an Jiaotong University City College, as well as executives from 30 industry-leading enterprises, such as China Northwest Architecture Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd., Shaanxi Blower (Group) Co., Ltd., China Life Insurance Company Limited, and Northwest International Tendering Co., Ltd. Also attending the forum were academic authorities and hundreds of faculty and student representatives. They jointly discussed the innovative pathways in project management education and the value of international certification. The forum officially unveiled the CAPM certification program, injecting new momentum into the cultivation of applied talent in the new era and helping students seize opportunities in the wave of the project economy!
1 Themed Sharing:
Deep Integration of Cutting-Edge Theories and Local Practices
Global Talent Demand Insight: Project Management Gap and Capacity Reconstruction
Jin Zhiwei, Key Account Director of PMI (China)
Jin Zhiwei, Key Account Director of PMI (China), deeply analyzed the current situation and future trend of talent demand in project management from an industry perspective. First of all, Jin Zhiwei provided a comprehensive introduction to PMI, covering its target audience, core business, and industry activities, enabling the audience to gain a clearer understanding of this international authoritative organization. Then, he interpreted the global project management talent demand report and pointed out the current global shortage of 30 million project management professionals, highlighting the urgent need for professionals in the industry. Meanwhile, based on the research report, Jin Zhiwei stressed that project management talent should have three core abilities: adaptability (application of AI tools and green skills), business acumen (stakeholder management and risk resistance), and communication ability (cross-team collaboration for value creation). He encouraged students to actively engage in project management and take the initiative to embrace industry changes, stating, "The best way to predict the future is to create it."
Practice Innovation in Higher Education Institutions: Xi'an Eurasia University's Approach to the Social Service Project Management Mechanism
Wu Lijuan, Director of the Office of Academic Research at Xi'an Eurasia University
Wu Lijuan, Director of the Office of Academic Research at Xi'an Eurasia University, analyzed the innovative pathways of private application-oriented undergraduate institutions in social service project management based on Xi'an Eurasia University's practices. Wu Lijuan emphasized the active exploration of Xi'an Eurasia University in educational concept renewal and mechanism innovation, as well as its in-depth practice of the "employer-oriented and student-centered" concept. When analyzing the social service project management mechanism, Wu Lijuan put forward the three-level project management organizational structure constructed by Xi'an Eurasia University, sorted out the existing project process in combination with PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge), and emphasized Xi'an Eurasia University's commitment to continuing to improve the quality management process, provide solid support from multiple dimensions such as system guarantee, fund guarantee and capacity building, and lay a solid foundation for the high-quality development of social service projects.
Reconstruction of Management Philosophy: Leadership Evolution in the Era of the Project Economy
Bai Junjiang, AFP China Region Director
Bai Junjiang, AFP China Region Director, combined practical experience with cutting-edge theories to deeply explore the connotation change and improvement path of leadership in the era of the project economy. He cited the idea of Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, creator of the "project economy" concept, stating, "The project economy marks an era in which people have the skills and abilities to turn ideas into reality." In addition, Bai Junjiang, taking the opportunity of updating the PAMBOK Guide, pointed out the indispensable role of leadership in the project economy and the significant change in its connotation, stating that leaders should focus on cultivating adaptability, emotional intelligence, collaboration ability, and result-oriented thinking. Regarding organizational development, Bai Junjiang put forward the concept of building a resilient organization and emphasized re-examining leadership in adversity. Through an in-depth analysis of the competency model of leadership, he innovatively integrated the five levels of leadership proposed by John C. Maxwell—position, permission, production, people development, and pinnacle—with the four levels from traditional Chinese culture as outlined by Zeng Guofan: self-cultivation, managing the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world. This integration endows leadership theory with new cultural connotations.
2 Roundtable Forum:
Joint Exploration of Talent Cultivation Pathways from the Perspective of Education, Industries, and Technology
In the second half of the event, PMI Global Vice President Chen Yongtao, Feishu Project Solution Expert Guo Danyang, AFP China Region Director Bai Junjiang, and Executive Dean Wu Rui of the School of Data Science conducted an in-depth dialogue on "How Education Innovation and School-Enterprise Cooperation Can Help College Students Develop Their Project Management Ability" to explore diverse solutions, combining industry insight and educational practices.
1 Breakthroughs in Education:
Building a Collaborative Ecosystem of "Professional Organizations + Schools + Enterprises"
In response to the pain point of mismatch between the talent cultivation cycle and enterprise demand, Wu Rui pointed out the difficulty for the four-year training system in universities to keep up with the average two-year business iteration speed of SMEs, stating that the course content often lags behind the industrial trends such as AI tool application and green management. Bai Junjiang suggested using the capability standards set by professional organizations such as PMI through global talent research as a "weathervane" for updating educational content. Bai Junjiang also suggested higher education institutions, enterprises, and professional organizations should build a tripartite cooperation mechanism, with PMI providing the certification system and industry trend insight, enterprises offering real project scenarios, and higher education institutions dynamically adjusting curriculum modules to form a closed loop involving demand collection, content iteration, and practical verification. Guo Danyang stressed that the incentive mechanisms in enterprises for certified talent (such as the performance rewards of the four major consulting companies to PMP certificate holders) would encourage students to actively improve their project management ability, and higher education institutions should combine certification preparation with curriculum assessment accordingly to strengthen the effect of promoting learning through certification.
2 Interdisciplinary Training Path:
Making Project Management an "Interdisciplinary Capability Connector"
For the ability training of non-management students, Guo Danyang put forward a "general tool theory" for project management thinking: its core framework (involving goal decomposition, resource coordination, and risk prediction) is applicable to science and engineering, liberal arts, art design, and other majors. For example, science and engineering students can optimize the process of scientific research projects through Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), liberal arts students can deepen their insight into the needs of social research with the help of related-party management, and artistic design students can use iterative thinking to balance creativity and implementation. Chen Yongtao further pointed out that university education often focuses on professional depth ("focus"), but social competition requires interdisciplinary integration ability ("divergence"), and project management can just fill this gap by guiding students to switch between open innovation (such as brainstorming) and structured execution (such as Gantt chart management), thereby meeting the compound demand of enterprises for ecosystem talent. The guests agreed that higher educations can implement a "project management + X" interdisciplinary model—such as the "computer science + project management" model aimed at cultivating technical project managers and the "marketing + project management" model aimed at strengthening demand-side resource coordination ability—to improve students' workplace adaptability through an interdisciplinary approach.
3 Capability Upgrade in the Era of AI:
Focusing on the "Irreplaceable" Core Qualities
Faced with the replacement of manpower by AI in basic process work, the guests emphasized that students should focus on three major abilities: The first is the strategic decision-making ability, i.e., using business acumen to judge the value of projects (such as whether to start high-risk innovation projects), which needs to be accumulated through internship in enterprises, with the participation of senior management; the second is the interpersonal collaboration ability, which involves cross-department conflict mediation, team incentives, and other emotional intelligence and can be deliberately practiced through campus projects (such as organizing large-scale events); the third is the ability to use meta-tools, i.e. mastering the application boundary of AI tools and building a multi-tool collaborative mindset. Taking Feishu as an example, Guo Danyang suggested that students should transform from tool users to tool integrators and improve management efficiency by understanding technical logic rather than relying passively on automation functions.
3 Launch of the CAPM Certification Program:
A New Starting Point for College Students' "Zero Threshold" Career
PMI (China) Marketing Manager Chen Zifei delivered an in-depth sharing session on "Project Management and PMI Certification" and systematically interpreted the corporate talent selection logic, the PMI Talent Triangle framework, and the unique value of the CAPM certification based on industry trends and the pain points of talent cultivation in universities. Chen Zifei pointed out that when selecting project management talent, enterprises focus on three core indicators: professional knowledge matching degree (such as the efficiency of converting software skills into practical project applications), project experience or knowledge background (such as course projects or management theoretical reserves), and stable soft skills (such as communication, cooperation, and adaptability). These three indicators constitute the core logic for enterprises to evaluate fresh graduates on whether they can quickly adapt, integrate into the team, and respond to changes. Chen Zifei stressed that college students should take CAPM as the starting point, combine on-campus courses with practice (such as the project management courses of Xi'an Eurasia University), build a closed loop of "theoretical certification + practical application" ability, lay a solid foundation for career development, and highlight the strategic value of CAPM certification as a bridge between campus and workplace.
4. Speeches by the Senior Management of Xi'an Eurasia University and PMI:
Anchoring the Strategy and Opening a New Chapter Together
Project Management Is the "Underlying Ability" of Applied Talent
Wang Yan, Vice President of Xi'an Eurasia University
Wang Yan, Vice President of Xi'an Eurasia University, pointed out that in the workplace, the ability to efficiently execute tasks is crucial. Using Confucius' life philosophy of "establishing oneself at thirty and being free from doubts at forty" as an example, Wang Yan vividly explained the concept of treating life as a project and implementing systematic planning. Meanwhile, Wang Yan, by analyzing the underlying logic of project management talent cultivation, proposed that the four core abilities for achieving workplace efficiency are reaching consensus on project management goals, mastering tools, addressing risks, and optimizing costs. In line with the university's applied talent training strategy, Wang Yan proposed to combine CAPM certification and project management courses to jointly cultivate talent and promote the combination of certificate acquisition and thinking upgrading.
Xi'an Eurasia University Leads the Education and Industry Collaboration Paradigm
Chen Yongtao, Global Vice President of PMI
Chen Yongtao, Global Vice President of PMI, took the macro market environment as an entry point and referred to the authoritative market research report "Survey on Project Management Talent Gap Data" to interpret the urgent needs of the industry for professional talent. In his speech, Chen Yongtao traced back the origin of project management and extended his discussion on its core characteristics such as innovation and risk. He highlighted the key proposition of "whether there is a link between project success and project management success" and emphasized that talent is the core driving force of project management. Additionally, Chen Yongtao spoke highly of Xi'an Eurasia University's innovative practice and pointed out that its introduction of international certification, school-enterprise ecology construction, and the interdisciplinary training model provided an example for the deep integration of higher education with industrial needs. He called on more institutions to join in collaborative education to jointly fill the global talent gap in project management.
Why Is This Forum So Meaningful?
· For students: CAPM certification can bridge the "last mile" from knowledge acquisition to career development, helping them become well-rounded talents with both theoretical expertise and practical skills;
· For higher education institutions: Through collaboration with PMI, they can promote the alignment of project management disciplines with international standards and develop a specialized applied talent cultivation system;
· For enterprises: They can secure project management reserve talent with an international perspective in advance and build a school-enterprise collaborative education ecosystem.
Project management is not only the core competency for enterprises to secure future success but also the key to universities nurturing interdisciplinary talent. Taking "applied talent training" as the anchor point, Xi'an Eurasia University deeply integrates project management thinking into the curriculum system and practical scenarios, and lays a growth path from theoretical foundation building to ability forging and eventually career transition for students through CAPM certification system construction, school-enterprise collaborative education platform construction, and interdisciplinary project practical training.
As PMI Global Vice President Chen Yongtao said: "Xi'an Eurasia University is redefining the mode of dialogue between higher education institutions and industries." In the future, Xi'an Eurasia University will continue to deepen the "education + industry" dual-drive model, leveraging project management as a fulcrum to unlock unlimited possibilities for talent cultivation. It aims to train more trailblazers for the era of the digital economy, who are bold in innovation, skilled in collaboration, and capable of execution.
