Top Risk Management courses for 2025
AI is driving demand for Risk Managers. Which certification should you attempt?
Bob Armstrong
20 February, 2025
The rapid expansion of AI has accelerated all facets of modern business and Project Management is no exception.
Whether you're a seasoned pro or just aspiring to enter the field, industry-recognised Project Management certifications attest you have the skills to lead successful projects, help you create a common language with stakeholders, and boost your confidence too.
In no particular order, let's take a look at the top Risk Management certifications for 2025.
1. ISACA Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control® (CRISC®)
If you're mitigating risk at an operational or management level, you've surely heard of ISACA CRISC®.
This course helps you develop a strong foundation for IT Risk Management and its impact on your business. The curriculum takes you through complex modules on risk identification, assessment, evaluation, response, and monitoring, as well as information systems control design, implementation, control monitoring, and maintenance. At the end of the course, you can take the official CRISC® exam and, upon proving your experience requirements, you can become officially CRISC® certified.
At Firebrand, we are proud to be an Accredited ISACA Elite+ Partner, bringing you access to official ISACA courseware and exams. You can take this course in person or via live online training and achieve your certification in as little as 3 days. Find out more.
2. PMI Risk Management Professional® (PMI-RMP®)
Next on our list, another certification for experienced Risk Managers: the Risk Management Professional® developed by the Project Management Institute (PMI).
This certification takes you through the PMI-RMP® Risk Management Framework, principles, concepts, identifying risk, performing Qualitative and Quantitative Risk Analysis, Planning Risk Responses, Control Risks, and much more.
At Firebrand, the entire course takes only 3 days. Find out more.
PMI-RMP® is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
3. ISC2 Certified in Governance, Risk and Compliance® (CGRC®)
Moving on, let's look at another heavyweight, the Certified in Governance, Risk and Compliance® (CGRC®) developed by ISC2, a global community of Cyber Security experts.
CGRC® is a vendor-neutral Cyber Security certification that proves you have the skills to use various frameworks to manage risk and to authorize and maintain information systems. This certification addresses a broad range of GRC topics, with a strong emphasis on the NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF) and Government compliance frameworks.
The curriculum includes Security and Privacy Governance, Risk Management, Selecting Frameworks, Security, and Privacy Controls, Implementing Security and Privacy Controls, Assessing/Auditing Security and Privacy Controls, System Compliance, Compliance Maintenance, and more. At Firebrand, you can take this course and exam in just 4 days. Find out more.
➤ Should I choose CRISC® or CGRC®?
Many delegates ask this. It depends on what you want to focus on. If you work with NIST, US contracts, or Government agencies, and you want a broader understanding of GRC concepts, including governance and compliance, CGRC® is the way to go.
On the other hand, if you want to delve deeper into IT Risk Management and designing effective system controls—for example, as an IT Risk Manager, Security Manager, or Control Designer—CRISC® is more suited to your needs.
4. BCS Practitioner Certificate in Information Risk Management (PCIRM)
Another certification that's well worth being on your radar is the Practitioner Certificate in Information Risk Management (PCIRM) developed by the UK's Chartered Institute for IT, BCS.
This course is aimed at professionals involved in Information Assurance (IA) and Information Security (IS). The course takes you through Risk Management Fundamentals, Establishing an information Risk Management programme, Risk identification, assessment, and treatment, Presenting risks and business cases, Information risk monitoring, and more, in the context of current standards including ISO 27000.
This is a hands-on course with a scenario-based exam; upon achieving it, you will become a certified Risk Manager able to bring significant business benefits by managing information risk. At Firebrand, the course and exam take only 4 days. Find out more.
5. ISO 31000 Foundation — Risk Management
Depending on the level of knowledge you wish to attain, there are three certifications per standard: the Foundation level, the Risk Manager level, and the Lead Risk Manager level.
Foundation levels are short, one-day courses, generally with no prerequisites; they help you understand core concepts that can help you attain a broader perspective in your current role or prepare for a more advanced ISO level.
Risk Manager levels build upon this knowledge and, in the case of ISO 31000 and 27005, are suited to those familiar with Risk Assessment and Information Security. This level helps you acquire the competence to advise organisation best practices.
Finally, Lead Risk Manager levels help you develop the knowledge and skills you need to help your business implement and manage risk, normally as a manager part of a larger team.
ISO 31000 focuses on general Risk Management principles and can be applied to any type of risk across an organisation. It also serves as a parent standard that can be used to inform the development of more specific risk management frameworks like ISO 27005. These factors make it a highly applicable standard across businesses and industries, well worth your time and effort.
At Firebrand, we offer accelerated courses to prepare you for all three levels of the standard, ISO 31000 Foundation, Manager, and Lead Manager. You can take the official exams at our training facilities and earn Credly badges and CPD points too.
6. ISO 27005 Lead Risk Manager — Information Security Risk Management
If you're interested in a more specialised ISO Risk Management standard, the ISO/IEC 27005 could be well worth your time.
ISO 27005 focuses on managing Information Security risks; essentially, it's a specialised standard aligned with the broader ISO 31000 framework.
The ISO 27005 standard provides guidelines for identifying, analysing, evaluating, treating, and monitoring Information Security risks. The ISO courses associated with it explain these concepts and principles and teach you to establish, maintain, and improve an Information Security Risk Management (ISRM) framework based on them.
There are no prerequisites to attend the ISO 27005 Foundation course; anyone interested can take it. Achieving the ISO 27005 Manager and Lead Manager certifications can be very useful to members of Information Security teams, IT professionals, Privacy and Compliance Officers, Project Managers, Advisers, Consultants, and anyone who needs to be able to apply these principles to the business environment.
At Firebrand, you can take all these courses through online live instructor-led training. Find out more.
7. ISACA IT Risk Fundamentals Certificate
Closing this list, let's go back to basics and look at the IT Risk Fundamentals Certificate developed by ISACA.
Speaking of ISO, if this is your intended focus, two Risk Management standards come to mind—the ISO 31000 and ISO 27005, which we will tackle next on this list.
It does what it says on the tin. There are no prerequisites to attend; it's also vendor-neutral, which makes it applicable to any workflow. This foundational course is ideal for those new to risk and/or IT-related risk as well as those wishing to prepare for ISACA CRISC® (see number 1 on this list). You can learn essential IT risk terminology, managing risk from identification, assessment, and analysis to risk response, and managing risk governance, reporting, and other important skills.
At Firebrand, this course takes only 2 days and ends with the official exam. Interested? See the full course spec.
Become a certified Risk Manager with Firebrand
For the past 14 years in a row, we’ve been named one of the Top 20 IT Training Companies in the World. We specialise in accelerated courses that help you become competent, confident, and certified fast.
We look forward to seeing the tech landscape evolve throughout 2025, driving demand for specialised knowledge, courses, and certifications, and will continue to revise this list to help you on your journey.Could one of our courses be right for you, or your team? Check out our latest courses in Project, Product, and Risk Management, AI, Cyber Security, and many more, and get in touch for advice.