How to choose the right project management courses
Whether you are considering a career in project management or are just looking to update your current project management skillset, there are a great many project management courses out there that can help you. The problem is with so many courses available; it can be hard to know which one will be the most appropriate for your requirements.
Here we will take a look at how to choose the right project management courses for your needs, whether you’re changing career or trying to get one foot up the career ladder.
photo/ Rebrand Cities
Changing career
If you are looking to change your career path and make a move into project management, then it can be a good idea to find a course that will teach you the basics. This will not only give you a good grounding in project management but also give you the chance to see if this is, in fact, the route you want to take with your career.
The APM Project Fundamentals course which will give you a PFQ qualification will give you a good understanding of the principles and language of project management. This is a good course for anyone who is interested in knowing “what is project management” but has no prior experience or knowledge.
There are also however qualifications in both the PMI and PRINCE2 methods that may be more suitable for your needs. The type of accreditation that you choose to pursue will depend on a number of things. This could include the current industry sector you are working in, previous experience, possible future employers and even whether you might want to work abroad or not. A good training company will be able to discuss your circumstances with you before advising you which course would be the best path for you to take with your future in mind.
Each accreditation offers a range of different courses that you can study in order to improve your qualifications and gain the necessary knowledge to give you the best chance in your new role.
Improving your qualifications
If you already work in project management, then you might be looking to gain the professional qualifications that will make it easier for you to move to another employer. The APM project management qualification (PMQ) is a great choice that will help you learn a lot about the fundamentals of being a project leader as well as getting you that vital paper qualification. This can be followed with an APM project professional qualification (PPQ), and then the most advanced project management accreditation there is, the APM project-chartered standard (ChPP).
Whilst this is a very good qualification to pursue if there is a chance that you might want to work abroad as a project manager in the future, or you would like to leave this option open just in case you change your mind, then you may feel that it is more appropriate to pursue a PRINCE or PMI qualification as these are both more internationally recognised qualifications in the field of project management.
Author: Anne Preston
