APM

Opportunities within the council enabled all project staff to become qualified in the APM programme, adding to the skills and experience that we already had, and complement a more agile way of delivering projects. Excellent reviews of the course outcomes from other candidates led to me to join, and subsequently complete the course.

The APM qualification formalised a lot of knowledge that I had, but enabled me to have a very clear understanding of the reasoning behind the procedures required, rather than just the ability to do them. This has been invaluable when working with other project and programme managers, due to the ability to really find the benefits from different approaches and ways of working, especially in an agile environment.

The biggest skill learnt was the ability to understand the wider impacts of project delivery, as well as the practices that make them as effective and efficient as possible. This increase in knowledge supported and developed the project around workforce re-design that I was already involved in and enabled me to excel in both the apprenticeship and the delivery of the project itself.

The apprenticeship blended seamlessly with the role, as the project was running at the same time as the course, meaning that my learning was implemented instantly. This meant that I was able to fully understand the implications of the methods I was implementing and therefore use this as evidence in the apprenticeship coursework that was supporting it. The ability to ask questions around your individual project in the learning sessions as well as with my mentor was invaluable also, and really helped embed the knowledge that was being developed.

1. A thorough understanding of the processes required to deliver successful projects.
2. Additional tools to support the effective delivery of effective project outcomes.
3. Increased confidence to deal with and respond to complex issues within the project environment.

Yes, most definitely. It was a lot of work, but totally worth the effort for the increased knowledge and competence in the role. I also liked the excellent support provided throughout the apprenticeship with really comprehensive course information to enhance the learning.