Home About Us Purpose and Clients

Our Purpose

The Professional Development Center at Portland State University continues to expand and update relevant courses, programs, and certificates tailored to fit the ever-changing needs for professional career development in the Portland metropolitan area. Now offering over 16 Programs, the Center delivers:

• High-quality business skills training programs that leverage the strengths of Portland State University
• Year-round professional development training classes delivered locally using state-of-the-art classrooms
• Tools, techniques, and current practices that can be applied immediately in the workplace
• Continuing professional development that improves job security and satisfaction for lifelong learners
• Programs, including summer professional development, that are flexible, responsive, and innovative

Our Clients

Professional Development Center courses, programs, and certificates are suited for both individual learners who want career training and local employers who want group or onsite training, including Nike, Gunderson, Yahoo, Intel, Tektronix, Columbia Sportswear, Vestas, and many others from various industries throughout the region.

Each year, over 5,000 clients from more than 3,000 private, public, and nonprofit organizations participate in over 250 business courses that range from HR, IT, and leadership to Six Sigma, project management, and A+ computer technology certification. We work with organizations that span the marketplace from the largest employers in the region to emerging companies across all industries.

Our Instructors

The Professional Development Center's reputation as a provider of consistent, high-quality professional education rests with how our instructors perform in the classroom.

There are more than 100 instructors in our "active" pool, and we have met or worked with over 300 others. Some instructors are full-time or adjunct Portland State University faculty. Others make their living as consultants or trainers for business and industry. Still others work full time in the private sector and teach evenings and weekends for the Center.

Effective communication and teaching skills are key. No amount of subject expertise can substitute for strong communication skills and an effective teaching style. We ask potential instructors to demonstrate their presentation skills, or we speak with their clients and former students. We attend our own courses, review student evaluations closely, and ask for feedback to continuously improve materials and instruction methods.

Educational background in their subject areas is another selection criteria. The best instructors are avid students of their subjects. They have focused and sustained attention on the knowledge, skills, and experiences that make up their areas of expertise. They model the behaviors of continuous learning that enable their students to successfully master new ideas.

Real-world experience in their subject areas is the final selection criteria. We require that instructors have plenty of genuine business experience. They are aware when theory collides with workplace constraints, and they know the realities of bringing new ideas into jobs that already fill each day. They bring authentic case studies to help students transfer theory into practice.

We're proud of our instructors, many of whom are recognized as regional, national, and even international experts in their areas. You can count on them and on the Professional Development Center to bring you the finest continuing professional education in the Portland area.