Professional Certificate in Innovation Practice (PR-INVPRAC)

The Professional Certificate in Innovation Practice is offered to project mentors in ENGR90034 Creating Innovative Engineering (CIE), ENGR90039 Creating Innovative Professionals (CIP) and equivalent subjects. The core of these subjects involves teams of four to six students working alongside an independent mentor, or a mentor and a sponsor from a sponsoring organisation, to elaborate an innovation opportunity.     

This certificate provides a unique opportunity for candidates to develop the management, coaching and leadership skills required to guide innovation projects and take the next step in their careers.  During this certificate, participants learn about strategic and operational considerations in generating innovative products and services.  They also develop the leadership skills to guide teams that are innovating.  

There are two pathways through the certificate.  Either candidates can participate in an innovation team in CIE or CIP, and then complete the subject Leadership for Innovation (ENGR90036).  Alternatively, the two broad domains of the program – innovation and leadership for innovation – are delivered together as one subject (ENGM90017).

In terms of innovation management, you will learn and facilitate the application of a human-centred design approach to an innovation project.  Along with your team, you will refine a project brief, design research, conduct interviews, generate insights, create a problem statement, generate proposals that respond to that problem statement and then, select, refine, hopefully test, and finally pitch a proposal.  Because you will be responsible for ensuring that the team delivers a good outcome, you will find that you need to develop a solid understanding of the human-centred innovation process. 

In terms of leadership, you will be in a unique position to learn how to become a great leader.  Your team is likely to be ethnically and professionally very diverse.  The project tasks will be well outside the prior experience of the members.  Furthermore, there will be no need to “manage” the team.  That is, rather than tell them what to do, you will use leadership behaviours such as facilitation, coaching, teaching, and so forth to move them in the desired direction.   However, we will give you instruction and support to create a psychologically safe environment in which you can learn.  Also, by writing a weekly reflection and giving feedback to a peer on their weekly reflection, you will learn mindfully and thoughtfully about yourself as a leader. 

The leadership program begins with a two-day intensive workshop in which you will be introduced to four fundamental leadership themes: adaptive leadership, authentic leadership, innovation leadership, and the leader as coach.  Over the twelve weeks of the semester you will generally learn a new skill each week, the underlying theory to support that skill, and you will have a chance to apply the skill with your team that week.  We aim to have you see yourself as a leader, understand what it means to be a leader, and have the skills to put that understanding into practice.

Students may accrue up to 12.5 points towards the Certificate as part of their master’s degree, either as ENGR90034 (Creating Innovative Engineering) or ENGR90039 (Creating Innovative Professionals).   

Candidates who successfully complete the Professional Certificate of Innovation Practice with a grade of 75% or greater, and who are admitted to the Master of Business Administration or the Master of Enterprise, may apply for two subjects (25 points) of credit towards that qualification.