Business project manager

You can study for a degree in any subject, then either:

• join an organisation's graduate management training scheme
• complete a postgraduate qualification in project management

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

• a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course

More Information

• equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
• student finance for fees and living costs|https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
• university courses and entry requirements|https://www.ucas.com/

You could get into this career by doing an apprenticeship, such as:

• Associate Project Manager Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship
• Project Manager Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship

These take between 2 and 4 years to complete.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

More Information

• equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
• apprenticeship levels|https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/apprentices/about-apprenticeships#UnderstandingApprenticeshiplevelsandqualifications
• guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide

You may be able to become a project manager in your organisation, if you've worked for some time in a project support role. You'll need to complete project management qualifications on the job.

In certain sectors, for instance, engineering, construction or cyber security, you may be able to apply directly for jobs if you have an in-depth knowledge of the industry gained through several years' experience.

Skills in planning, business analysis and data management could also give you an advantage.

Career Tips

You could take a course covering project management methods, like PRINCE2 and Agile to help you understand these approaches.

Further Information

You can find more details about careers, training courses and apprenticeships in project management from the:

• Association for Project Management
• Project Management Institute
• Chartered Management Institute

As a business project manager, you will:

• develop detailed plans, using project management tools, to deliver what the client wants
• set up and lead a multi-skilled project team
• work out timescales, resources and costs
• monitor and report on progress, issues, quality and risks
• deal with problems and adapt plans to meet changes during the project lifecycle
• work closely with the senior management team

We've identified this as a potential green job

For a business project manager to be a green job, you could:

• build in sustainability to your project plans
• limit the environmental impact of tasks to help businesses meet their sustainability targets
• make good use of technology and adopt flexible ways of working to reduce office travel

Find out more about green careers

You could work in an office, at a client's business or from home.