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罢丑别听projectification听of work has picked up an even greater pace in the wake of COVID-19. As projects become听补听more and more听critical element of business as usual,听new project managers are needed all the time听to keep听delivering听the ongoing听improvements听necessary for听organisations听to survive.

To meet that demand for projects, the profession needs a pipeline of talent with the right skills to deliver projects in tech-first environments. APM鈥檚 Projecting the Future report has听highlighted the need to create听new routes into the profession in order to bring the diversity of skills and thought that it needs.听

鈥淧roject management is a discipline that crosses industry boundaries,鈥� says Dr Ian Clarkson, head of听organisational听consultancy at QA and an advocate for听bringing new skills into the profession. 鈥淭o attract talent to fill that gap, we need to look wider, putting the emphasis on the soft skills. For example, we could look to hire a graduate: have they worked in a team environment before? Where have they shown that they can do听entrepreneurial,听innovative听work? Have they demonstrated leadership or problem-solving? If we start to think of the skills in that regard, the talent pool suddenly becomes a lot wider.鈥�

Fundamentals such as risk management and听critical path analysis are more teachable than creativity and interpersonal skills,听Clarkson explains.听The profession should look to attract talent with a knack for those skills.听

鈥淚 think听APM is really pushing that agenda forward and is doing some fantastic work with universities and younger people as well. There's still a long way to go,听and a lot of that is an industry issue. I also think, to be honest, it鈥檚 probably a generational thing as well.鈥�

The Projecting the Future report听emphasises听the need for employers and policymakers to offer听project apprenticeships, including degree apprenticeships听and other vocational routes into a project management career.听Clarkson says that this is a particularly听viable alternative in the wake of COVID-19, thanks to the rapidly increasing demand for project managers and the disruption to traditional educational routes such as universities.

鈥淲ith the opportunity that exists now across different听organisations听and the scale and听magnitude of projects, it鈥檚 a really exciting way to get your foot in the door,鈥� he says. 鈥淲ith an听apprenticeship scheme, having a mentor that guides you through is a fantastic option for somebody new coming into the profession.鈥�听

The route ahead

Another potential benefit for the project profession to highlight听when attracting talent is the clear career path mapped out for you, including 补听route towards becoming a Chartered Project Professional. This is already proving a popular option with young people 鈥� a number of new Chartered Project Professionals are younger than typical candidates, which听Clarkson believes is a brilliant sign for the profession.听鈥淚t shows you don't have to be of a certain age to show your experience,鈥� he says.听鈥淚f you get motivated enough, you can achieve a lot.鈥�听

The need to rebuild the听economy also听after the pandemic offers another opportunity for the profession to bring in new talent.听Organisations听should be looking to reskill people into project management, offering new roles and skills for people who are out of work.

鈥淚t鈥檇 be a wasted opportunity听if听organisations听didn鈥檛 see the importance of upskilling people into project management,鈥� says听Clarkson. 鈥淓specially if those听organisations听look for people with those important soft skills. There are lots of people out there who听would make fantastic project managers or project professionals.鈥�

The biggest challenge for the profession is听promoting听itself to a diverse talent pool. With so much competition from other future-facing roles, the profession must push past traditional misconceptions of project听management and demonstrate its importance and excitement.听Clarkson is not worried about this;听as a new generation comes into project management,听perceptions听will naturally change.

鈥淚 think we鈥檒l see that shift in the profession as younger people come in,鈥� he says.听鈥淎s we attract more people from different backgrounds, starting points and skill sets, we鈥檒l start seeing that diversity of skills coming in, as well as diversity of cultures. A lot of things will start to tie together.鈥�听

You may also be interested in

• Projecting the future: The Adaptive Project Professional
• How to become the youngest Chartered Project Professional

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