About Classic Seminars
Classic Seminars has trained project managers since 1998. We teach people how to plan, schedule and control their projects, and we prepare them for the exams that prove they can. All our courses are now taught live online, so you can join a class from anywhere in the world.
How it started
In 1998 two friends lived in the same coastal town: Andrew Holden, an engineer, and Philip Russell, a serial entrepreneur. On most Friday evenings they would meet for a drink and talk through the problems of the week at work.
One Friday they decided that talking wasn’t enough, and they began to write down the management problems that kept coming back, together with the solutions they had found. Those notes were turned into a practical exercise, which is still used in our Project Management Foundations course today.
The company grew out of the same notes, starting with a single practical class for people new to project management. Since then we have trained people from engineering, construction, IT, finance and the public sector, at home and abroad.
Our courses
We run 14 courses:
- project management, starting with the basics and going on to advanced risk management and earned value
- exam preparation for the PMP® and CAPM® certifications
- Microsoft Project and Primavera P6
- construction and engineering contracts
The courses were written by our trainers, out of their own work as engineers and project managers, so the problems you meet in the exercises are ones that came up on their projects.
How we teach
A class with us is demanding, but the mood is relaxed. Our trainers are there to coach you, not only to pass on information.
- Each class is live, and your trainer learns your name and answers your questions as the lesson goes on.
- The theory of each topic is paired with exercises and case studies, so that you can use it on your own project the week after the course.
- In group work you learn from the experience of the other people in the class.
- Assessments are part of each course, which lets both you and your trainer see how far you’ve come.
We’ll push you to grow. A new skill usually feels awkward at first, and we stay with you through those first attempts until the new way of working has become a habit.
What we value
We put people first. Software can do a great deal, but it can’t take the place of a good teacher, so you get a trainer who gives you feedback and makes time for your own questions. In Southern Africa there is a word for the spirit of a group of people, umoya, and that is what we try to bring to each class.
We aim for professional excellence. Our trainers each have at least ten years in the field, and many have more than thirty. We deal with our clients honestly, we train to the same standard in each course, and we treat our learners with respect.
Our training is meant to be used at work. When the practice of project management changes, or the outline of an exam is revised, the courses are updated to match.
We go on learning. Our trainers stay up to date through professional networks and their own study, and we hope our learners will do the same.
The last of our values is Ubuntu, an African idea which holds that a person grows through other people. We’d like our learners to stay in touch after the course and to share what they know with each other, because that is how the profession as a whole gets better.
Who we work with
Classic Seminars is a member of the Project Management Training Alliance (PMTA), an international network of companies that train project managers. Through the PMTA our learners have access to courseware and support that are recognized around the world. (The PMTA is an independent body and isn’t part of the Project Management Institute, or PMI.)
Talk to us
If you aren’t sure which course is right for you or your team, you can see all courses or contact us for advice.
PMP, CAPM and PMBOK are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.