Pre-Management Development Program

Eligibility

Eligible City employees must have completed their probationary period at the time the program begins, have no prior supervisory experience, and must not be on any type of performance improvement plan or undergoing any disciplinary action.

Participants must also pass the Accuplacer exam with the minimum required scores (see below), as well as complete and submit a formal application, resume, writing sample, and three (3) letters of recommendation, including one from your supervisor, one from your division manager, and one from a professional contact of your choice. 

How To Get Started

All of the required documents must be submitted in person to the Employee Learning Center (ELC) office prior to the annual deadline, which occurs sometime in November. This is a competitive process. Your application will be submitted to your department director. City directors will choose up to three (3) applications to submit to the Learning Council for consideration. Once approved, the Employee Learning Center PMDP Committee will appoint candidates to the program. If you are selected, you will be required to sign a letter of agreement to participate. Participation in the program is voluntary.

The first step in applying to the program is registering for a CNM Student ID unless you already have one. This can be done online and free of charge at http://www.cnm.edu/registration/apply-and-register.

Once you have a student ID, the next step is taking the Accuplacer exam, unless you have a current Accuplacer score (Accuplacer scores are good for five years). To register to take the Accuplacer, go to http://www.cnm.edu/depts/assessment-center/accuplacer and choose the campus at which you would like to take the exam. Then, follow the instructions for registering for the Accuplacer. The exam can be taken Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 .p.m, at any CNM campus. The Accuplacer scores must be submitted to the ELC office prior to the November deadline.

It is required that applicants to the PMDP pass the Accuplacer with a minimum score of 80 in reading and 85 in sentence skills. If you have previously passed the Accuplacer in the last five years with the required scores, you must submit your scores to the ELC office by the October deadline, along with your other required documents. If it has been more than five years since taking the Accuplacer, or if you took the Accuplacer but did not achieve the minimum scores, then you must retake the test and submit your scores to the ELC prior to the PMDP application deadline. 

If you are eligible to attend classes at CNM either because you are already a CNM student or you already hold a degree, you must submit your transcripts to the ELC as proof. If you already have a Bachelor's degree or higher in a non-Business/Management discipline, you must contact CNM to request course substitution in lieu of the Accuplacer. It is your responsibility to submit all required documentation to CNM for course substitution prior to the PMDP deadline date.

Commitment

Participants and their department directors and supervisors must make an absolute commitment to the entire 12-month program, which also includes field trips and special events. Those employees that are selected for the program will be enrolled at the City's Employee Learning Center (ELC) and CNM. Participants will take academic classes at CNM every Thursday morning from January through August and will attend classes at ELC every other Thursday afternoon throughout the year. In August, participants will attend ELC every other Thursday, all day. Directors will receive quarterly status updates on participant progress.

In addition to attending class, participants must:

• Complete all homework assignments (this is a homework-intensive course)
• Pass all quizzes and exams
• Write and present assignments in the classroom setting
• Successfully complete 5 Toastmasters speeches in the classroom/public setting
• Successfully complete and present course projects related to the betterment of public service
• Successfully complete and deliver a team project plan as assigned by the Mayor/CAO
• Successfully create and deliver a complete business plan as assigned by the department director

This is a once-per-year application process. If you were ineligible due to Accuplacer requirements or if you were not selected this year, feel free to apply for the program next year.