The world of project management is exciting, fascinating and can be highly rewarding. If you’re looking to become a Project Manager but you don’t know where to start, the good news is that there are a wide range of transferable skills that can be applied to the role.
The skills that can help you become a successful project manager include:
- Strong teamwork skills, including how to motivate a team and deal with conflict
- Communication skills, as you’ll have to communicate with stakeholders and your team
- Organisational skills
- Critical thinking and problem solving skills
- Time management skills
Project management is about being accountable for a number of key responsibilities. These often include:
- Managing a project from conception to delivery
- Juggling resources
- Completing projects efficiently - within time and budget
- Managing a team of people and/or stakeholders
- Reporting on the progress and end result of the project
In an agile environment, the projects that you may find yourself working on will rely more on an iterative, evolving process. With this type of project management, work can be slightly more fast paced and much less predictable.
How Long Does it Take to Become a Project Manager?
How long it takes to become a project manager will vary depending on your current education, experience and where you want the career to take you.
With managerial experience, and some prior experience of using skills needed to be a project manager, it could take as little as a few months. If you’re starting with no or little experience, it can take a few years - but the rewarding career path will be worth it!
To speed up your journey of becoming a Project Manager, we highly recommend pursuing a PRINCE2 Foundation qualification. This will teach you the fundamentals of project management, and help you stand out from the competition when applying to different roles.
Alternatively, you may be in an organisation that already requires project management, so showing interest in a PRINCE2 will show initiative and enthusiasm. Our aim as an accredited provider of PRINCE2 is to empower teams in project management, from the basics to more advanced project management skills.
The PRINCE2 2-4 days courses at Impellus are all online, so they can fit around your day-to-day responsibilities.
How to Get into Project Management?
There are a number of different routes to take if you’re looking into becoming a Project Manager.
In the UK, you can choose to pursue a Project Management undergraduate degree. This is a vocational degree for people looking to get into the professional world and learn more about business.
Other ways of getting into project management include:
- Becoming a Junior or Assistant Project Manager
- Developing and showcasing project management skills within your current role
Even if your current role doesn’t involve project management, improving your skills can help you make a more seamless switch.
If you’re looking to get into the role in a more fast-paced, evolving environment, we’d recommend embarking on the PRINCE2 Agile qualification. This helps delegates with understanding and thriving in non-traditional project environments.
By achieving a PRINCE2 qualification, delegates on average receive a wage that’s 57% above the UK average (according to PRINCE2.com).
Project Management Average Wage
The average wage of a Project Manager in the UK is £54,634. This has also increased year-on-year by an average of almost 8%, according to PRINCE2.com.
Project Management Certification
To help you get ahead in your project management journey, there are a number of different certifications you can do.
If you’re looking for a more general management qualification, ILM courses aim to give managers and leaders the skills to thrive in leadership, strategic thinking and decision making. We’re proud to be the largest ILM Centre in the UK, supporting and empowering teams across the country.
If you’d like to learn a bit more about how we can help you on your career path to becoming a Project Manager, please call us or send us a message.
