Nearly 300 project professionals to receive new accreditation (ChPP) designed to raise standards, increase employability and address the growing demand for the project profession
This Wednesday 31 October 271 individuals from across the UK will be awarded with Chartered Project Professional status (ChPP) making them the first of their kind in the world.
ChPP, is exclusively awarded by the Association for Project Management (APM) - the chartered body for the project profession – and is a benchmark demonstrating the attainment of a defined level of technical knowledge, professional practice and ethical behaviour.
Project professionals from 50 different sectors including; construction, defence, education, finance, engineering and technology, working for companies such as; BT, BAE Systems, Dyson, NHS Digital, will be amongst those 271 waking on 31 October to receive notification of their new chartered status. This will also include their inclusion on the APM’s new Register of Chartered Project Professionals and the ability to use the post nominal ChPP.
Speaking about this historic milestone Debbie Dore, Chief Executive Officer of APM, said:
“As of today, project management takes its rightful place at the table alongside other professions including accountancy, engineering & medicine. It is our belief that chartership will help to raise standards and employability while addressing a growing demand for project professionals. Chartership will enable project professionals to have an increasingly positive impact on society and the economy by helping to ensure a world in which all projects succeed.” Ms Dore continues “We are exceptionally proud of our ‘pioneering’ Chartered Project Professionals, congratulate them on their achievement and look forward to welcoming many more joining their ranks in the future”
This development could not be more timely, with the demand for high quality project professionals increasing by the day, recent figures from the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) suggesting that the current Government Major Projects Portfolio alone has a whole life cost of £423bn1. High value investments in projects are increasingly reflected in the commercial sector too and with Brexit around the corner the need for highly qualified project professionals has never been greater.
Research conducted by APM earlier this year2 found that 89% of employers felt that chartered status had a positive effect on an individual's employability, 78% of the same sample would be more likely to employ a project manager if they had chartered status and 81% felt that project management professional qualifications (including being chartered) was important when considering whether to recruit someone into a project management role.
This first cohort of Chartered Project Professionals went through a rigorous selection process requiring them to demonstrate a wide range of skills and experience. Submissions for applications made for serious reading with 252 CPD logs completed, over 140,000 words submitted and many thousands of years’ experience on show. Specifically, requirements for achieving chartered status include;
- Advanced technical knowledge and understanding of how to deliver projects
- Successful application of this knowledge to deliver projects, programmes or portfolios
- Commitment to professional ethics
- Currency of practice and commitment to Continuing Professional Development
Nikki Marek, GM, power, policy and compliance MAPM RPP at BT was one of the first to receive the news of her chartership on the morning of 31st October and speaking of the result said
“At BT I work in a highly technical space, with some of the most gifted practitioners around, but thanks to chartership I can now stand shoulder to shoulder with my chartered peers in finance and engineering, those 4 little letters of ChPP providing an independent certification of my own technically ability and skills.”
Simon Maxwell, Senior Project Manager, Dyson, Bristol was also a successful applicant and said
“For me Chartership represents a badge of honour and an independent recognition that ‘this person has been approved’, something that I am 100% certain will really help with anyone’s progression in their career as well as raising the standard of the profession.”
Full details of the criteria for achieving chartership and the routes to get there can be found on the APM website https://www.apm.org.uk/chartered-standard/ and the benefits of chartered status to an individual include;
- A recognisable mark of quality, setting standards of professionalism and performance
- The development of a cadre of assured professionals who can lead the delivery of projects
- The opportunity to attract and retain the best project management talent
1 Infrastructure and Projects Authority Annual Report on Major Projects 2017-18
2 Understanding awareness and attitudes towards project management was a report conducted on behalf of APM by Opinion research with a sample of 1,000 students 16+, 100 Teachers, 250 L & D / Project Management decision makers in companies of 50+ employees
About APM
The Association for Project Management (APM) is the chartered body for the project profession and is committed to developing and promoting project and programme management.
In 2017, APM was awarded a Royal Charter as part of its strategy to raise awareness and standards in the profession and at the end of October 2018 the first cohort of Chartered Project Professionals will be awarded with their new postnominals (ChPP).
APM has over 26,000 individual members and 500 organisations participating in the Corporate Partnership Programme making it the largest professional body of its kind in Europe.
About ChPP
There around 900 chartered organisations in the UK today, each providing endorsement and accountability for the professionals that they represent but the Association for Project Management is one of the most recent to have received the Royal Charter.
APM first received notice of the Order of Grant in October 2016 and then formally became the chartered body for the project profession in April 2017. After a consultation period the official chartered standard was published, and the first applicants registered their interest in Spring 2018.
A range of support services are available to support those that want to achieve ChPP which are open to all, as individuals do not need to be a member of APM to qualify. However individual members of APM will receive a discounted rate on any training or support as a benefit of their membership.
Project professionals who have previously qualified with PQ status will be able to have this considered as part of their application for chartered status.
https://www.apm.org.uk/chartered-standard/