Product Description

The Capital Improvement Certificate Program is targeted to professionals in parks and public lands agencies, individuals who work in a non-profit setting or organization that desires to learn about capital improvement programs. This certificate program provides the learner with a foundational understanding of capital improvement programs, financing of capital improvements, site plans for capital projects, and project management. This program utilizes a case study that illustrates how capital improvements are organized and carried out. Downloadable takeaways are also provided that can help you organize capital improvements.

The Capital Improvement Certificate Program is divided into five e-courses

CIP 1: Introduction to Capital Improvement Programs
This course provides an introduction to capital improvement. Capital improvement is defined and its connections to an agency’s mission are discussed. An emphasis is placed on planning and communication in the development of capital improvements. Finally, the course details the general pattern that capital improvement programs fall into.

CIP 2: Creating a Capital Improvement Program
This course details how an agency should determine its needs and priorities in the development of a capital improvement program. The benefits of developing a capital improvement program are described as are strategies for determining an agencies capital improvement needs. The course ends by exploring how an agency prioritizes its needs and plan when capital project will occur.

CIP 3: Financing for Capital Improvements
This course highlights revenue sources and finance mechanisms for capital improvements. Capital budgeting is explained and an overview of funding and review sources is provided. Full-faith and credit obligations and non-guaranteed debt instruments are discussed as methods to finance improvements. The course ends by describing impacts of capital improvements, which can be used to explain who the public benefits from projects.

CIP 4: Site Planning for Capital Projects
This course will introduce you to the site planning process and how the steps of site planning contribute to a site master plan. First, the course describes what research is needed when creating a site plan and how public opinion affects the process. Second, the course describes how to analyze a site’s suitability for a project by utilizing five feasibility components. Third, the course outlines design criteria for a site. Finally, the course describes how to compile a site master plan.

CIP 5: Project Management for Capital Projects
This course introduces you to industry-standard project management practices, including the phases of project management and useful strategies that keep a project on track. Industry standard terminology is explained the four phases of project management are detailed. The course ends by describing a communications plan for the project.