Nearly Half of Project Professionals Say Developing Skills and Talent Pipeline Is the Biggest Challenge Facing the Profession, as Revealed in APM Research

Association for Project Management (APM), the chartered membership organisation for the project profession, will launch two new initiatives in January 2022 to support project professionals through their career journey, alongside its current formal offering of professional qualifications, training and chartership. APM will introduce an online mentoring programme – launching 31 January – which will see project professionals from across different industry sectors connected with project practitioners from its community of members, with mentors sharing invaluable experience and knowledge.

Anyone working in the project profession will have access to APM’s new interactive online assessment tool as part of its Competence Framework, which supports the development of skills across 29 different competences, each required for effective project, programme, portfolio management and project management office work. For the first time both sustainability and diversity have been included within the framework as part of the skills required for project delivery. The new Competence Framework tool will be available from 18 January.

The importance of having the required core skills in place for project delivery is made evident in APM’s 2021 Salary Survey and Market Trends report (a survey of over 2,500 project professionals), with almost half (47 per cent) saying the skills gap and talent pipeline needed for future work is the biggest challenge facing the project profession over the next five years. Additional APM research* also reveals that the majority (76 per cent) of project professionals think there needs to be greater professionalisation of skills in their sector.

The skills that are considered the most important for project success are interpersonal skills, deemed important or very important by 97 per cent of survey respondents (as part of APM’s Dynamic Conditions for Project Success report). Communication, leadership, and listening to one’s team were rated the highest key indicators of project success.

Professor Adam Boddison, chief executive of APM, said: “We are really excited to be launching our new mentoring programme for our members and to see the value it will bring in improving skills and development for those delivering projects. Our new Competence Framework assessment tool is also going to be valuable for anyone working in projects who is keen to measure and improve their skill set at any level.

“The future of work is projects and, as we move into 2022, our changing and challenging world means the project profession has never been more important. It is vital that professionals have the right skills in place including the ‘accidental project manager’ who might be tasked with project management responsibilities in their role but lacks the formal training.”

Commenting on the benefits of having a mentor, James Pearce, Portfolio Analyst at Rolls-Royce said: “Having a mentor has been hugely important to me, providing me with a sounding board to bounce my ideas off, and giving me guidance and a steer on direction in the early stages of my career.”

APM’s Mentoring Programme launches on 31 January 2022 exclusively for paying members. The new Competence Framework will launch on 18 January and details will be available on apm.org.uk

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Notes to editors:

* Censuswide survey of 1,000 project professionals

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211220005554/en/

To speak to a mentor or mentee participating in APM’s mentoring programme please contact:
Hayley Mountstevens
Hayley.mountstevens@apm.org.uk