Rising Demand for Project Managers in Ireland

Project management is a lucrative and stimulating career path. The profession is growing with ever more opportunities arising for practitioners to further their career goals.

This is true not just in Ireland but around the globe. Chris Lamph from Knowledge Tree Training explains the growth in this area as well as how you can capitalise on it with the right professional accreditation.

GLOBAL DEMAND

On the macro level, the Project Management Institute predicts demand for project managers will outstrip supply over the next 10 years.

Growth among the BRIC nations and a dramatic increase in the number of jobs requiring project-oriented skills means project management related roles will grow by 22 million jobs worldwide to 87.7 million by 2027.

EVOLUTION OF THE PM ROLE

There are a great many opportunities on the horizon.

In the near term, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force on May 25 2018. GDPR updates data protection legislation to more fully reflect the rights and privacy expectations of modern consumers.

With the arrival of new legislation has generated fresh demand for skilled project management professionals to guide organisations through the process of compliance. New job roles such as ‘GDPR Project Manager’, ‘Data Analyst - GDPR’ ‘Lead Business Analyst (GDPR) are coming on stream - typically on a freelance basis with attractive day rates.

Looking ahead to 2019 and the UK’s departure from the EU will similarly stimulate demand for experienced individuals who can support organisations to help manage change during a period of complexity.

PMs IN IRELAND

In Ireland, theregional chapter of the Project Management Institute

has grown by 22% over the past year and now claims are 1,300 members.

There are currently over 50,000 people employed in project management across Ireland, in sectors such as IT, public sector, construction, pharmaceuticals, professional services, financial services and manufacturing.

And as this year’s National Project Awards demonstrated, there’s a growing sense of confidence within the profession and recognition of the valuable role project management plays across industry.

PRINCE2 PROFESSIONAL ACCREDITATION

In order to move through the industry it’s vital for individuals to join the Project Management Institute as a professional body responsible for driving up global standards, and to seek out accredited courses to develop skills and competencies. PRINCE2 is Ireland’s leading project management qualification and is a good place to start with regularPRINCE2 Courses Dublin

orPRINCE2 Courses Cork

. There are also other excellent options like PMP or APM which are also highly recognised among employers.

There is a high number of contractors in the industry now earning up to €600 per day. As such, there has been a big increase in demand forPRINCE2 Weekend Training Courses.

AGILE PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Increasingly organisations are focusing on the benefits of adopting agile project management techniques. Originally developed for the software industry, agile comprises of a series of short cycles of activity or sprints to move a project forward. APMG’sAgile Project Management Course

is the leading certification in this area.

Agile’s focus on simplicity, flexibility, speed and efficiency makes it attractive to many organisations, and there are courses catering specifically for agile project management.

However, PRINCE2 includes components covering agile methods and techniques. Pursuing aPRINCE2 course

does not equate to sacrificing innovative approaches offered through agile. Indeed, AXELOS has developed a dedicated PRINCE2 Agile course designed to marry up techniques demanded from the management community.

With the profession showing increasing concern over potential skills gaps, barriers to entry are lowering. Courses are becoming less Dublin-centric and new courses are being introduced in Cork and Belfast too. The opportunities are widening significantly for new entrants to the profession.

Technological change touches upon every aspect of the business environment. How organisations manage this change and derive maximum value will be determined in no small part by the quality of their people, and most particularly the quality of their project managers.

Knowledge Tree Training Specialises in Accredited Project Management qualifications such asAgile Project Management Training

andMSP Training

. Knowledge Tree delivered their firstPRINCE2 Course London

and have since expanded across the UK & Ireland.