The new talent pipeline

A host of modern apprenticeship schemes are blazing a trail into the project profession. Sally Percy investigates.

Apprenticeships are a fundamental pillar of the UK’s skills policy. The government has set a target of three million apprenticeship starts between 2015 and 2020, and it has also introduced an apprenticeship levy on employers with payrolls of more than £3m – 0.5 per cent of their annual pay bill. Funds raised from the levy are being combined with government contributions to subsidise organisations that train apprentices. 

The nature of apprenticeships is also changing. New apprenticeship standards, known as ‘trailblazers’, have been developed by groups of employers, with the aim of equipping apprentices with the knowledge, skills and behaviours that they will need to succeed in their chosen occupation. These new standards are designed to replace the previous apprenticeship frameworks in England.

Apprentice project managers

APM is part of a trailblazer employer group, led by nuclear-fuel reprocessing and decommissioning site Sellafield, which developed the new level 4 associate project manager apprenticeship standard. Launched in November 2016, it includes the APM Project Management Qualification as an on-programme assessment. Apprentices may become student members of APM during the programme, progressing to associate member status on completion.

“As a Chartered body, it’s important for APM to be in line with the government and public-sector activity,” explains Stephen Miller, quality and product manager for trailblazers in APM’s professional standards department. “Also, APM wanted to create a first career path into project management, because the majority of project managers come into it as a second or third career. Apprenticeships enable young people to start on a career in project management directly from school, college or university. They can then go on and take further qualifications.”

The typical duration of the new apprenticeship is two years. Over this period, apprentices gain both a practical and theoretical understanding of various aspects of project management, including budgeting, communication, governance, planning, procurement and stakeholder management. Learning is provided by the employer in the workplace and external providers that deliver training online, as well as in colleges. Apprentices must pass an end-point assessment to qualify as associate project managers.

For school and college leavers, the associate project manager apprenticeship presents an attractive alternative to university because of its long-term career potential. It is not the same as doing a degree, however.

“Because it is a level 4 apprenticeship, apprentices will get a qualification that is equivalent to doing the first year of university,” Miller says. “It is above A-levels and BTEC Nationals, but it is not equivalent to a degree.” That said, APM is currently developing a level 6 degree-equivalent apprenticeship that should be available by the end of 2017.

Employers in a range of sectors have launched their own project management trailblazer schemes, from construction and defence to financial services, the media and the civil service. Miller expects there will be more than 400 apprenticeship starts in the 12 months to 31 March 2018.

The rapid pace of change, together with project managers’ crucial role in driving change, explains why employers are investing in apprentices for their project management functions.

“I’m starting to see employers who have not previously established project management structures in their organisations start to establish them,” says Miller. “They are training people to be project managers at entry level for the first time.”

The employer perspective

British Airways (BA), which has run a level 4 project management apprenticeship scheme for three years, will launch its own trailblazer programme in September 2017. Five apprentices – four female, one male – will start on the programme, which attracted a high calibre of applicants.

“The project manager role is quite aspirational,” says Priti Kharbanda, apprentice programme manager at BA. “It’s something that millennials like the sound of. People used to fall into project management, but it has become more of a career choice, especially for young people.”

The BA trailblazer programme will run for two-and-a-half years. During that time, apprentices will do four six-month placements on projects across the business, in areas as diverse as catering, engineering and revenue management. This will be followed by a final placement, where they will play a leading role in a major project. If they complete the programme successfully, they will be offered the opportunity to stay on in a permanent role.

All of BA’s apprenticeship schemes – there are 14 across the group – are linked to its high-level resourcing strategy.

“We like growing our own,” Kharbanda explains. “We find there’s a benefit in people understanding our culture and how we do things.”

She emphasises that BA’s apprentices help the company to deliver on its vision of being smarter, leaner and faster, and working together: “Millennials bring in excellent data skills and they encourage people to use productivity tools, such as SharePoint.”

Vernon Martin, BA’s head of portfolio office business transformation, adds: “Apprentices make a real contribution to our delivery, and help us challenge existing practices and ways of working.”

Project management consultancy Turner & Townsend sees apprenticeships as a great way to attract a diverse range of talented people.

“Project management is a broad church,” says Lindsay Pilling, project director, infrastructure. “We are looking to attract people who are passionate about delivering great outcomes for clients, no matter if that is a small refurbishment project or a multibillion-pound infrastructure project like Crossrail. The new apprenticeships reach out to people who might not normally consider a career in project management.”

During Turner & Townsend’s two-year level 4 trailblazer programme, its apprentices work on live commissions under the supervision of a line manager and an apprenticeship development manager. They rotate either within or across projects to gain the knowledge, skills and behaviour that they need to complete the apprenticeship.

Also, they spend either one day a week or one week a month at a local college, where they learn about the different elements of project management. Around 12 people across the UK are expected to go through the programme in the next year – some will be school leavers but, since there are no age restrictions on trailblazers, others will be career changers who move over from other industries.

“The apprentices are learning as they are doing, so they pick up things a lot more quickly,” Pilling explains. “At the end of two years, we have well-rounded individuals with the appropriate knowledge and experience to build a great career in project management.”

She points out that apprenticeships fit well with the nature of Turner & Townsend’s business, saying: “We are a practical business. Learning on the job helps to bring project management to life.”

Cross-industry standard

Lloyds Banking Group is part of the employer group that developed the new trailblazer standard. It will be rolling out the new scheme to 34 of its own apprentices, who will make up the 2017 cohort.

“This is a standard across all industries,” says Jennie Jarman, head of group change approach at Lloyds Banking Group. “If you earn it here, you could potentially go and be a project manager in any industry, not just financial services.”

All apprentices at Lloyds Banking Group start by doing six months in a project management office role.

“This orients them to the group and they get an overview across the portfolio, so they start to understand how it all fits together,” Jarman explains. “Then they move onto assignments to gain the experience they need as part of a well-structured scheme.”

Overall, Lloyds Banking Group has a target of employing 8,000 apprentices, including around 200 project management apprentices, by 2020 as part of its Helping Britain Prosper Plan. Across the group’s schemes, the youngest apprentice is presently 16, and the oldest is 60.

“We massively value our apprentices,” explains Jarman. “They bring in new energy, enthusiasm and talent. We are building our professional change community for the future, and we see our project management apprenticeship scheme playing a huge part in our success.”

Apprentice profiles

Abby Hindle

Abby is a trainee project manager at Turner & Townsend, based in Manchester. She opted not to go to university, favouring an apprenticeship instead, because it would allow her to start a career while learning at the same time.

“My experience of the apprenticeship scheme has been very positive,” she says. “Everyone I’ve worked with has been supportive and helped me to improve my skills in some way.”

Charlie Cliffe

Charlie had not considered a career in project management until he came across the Lloyds Banking Group apprenticeship scheme. He likes the scheme because it allows him to explore different areas of project management while gaining a professional qualification and getting paid.

“You get the necessary time and support to make sure you are ready to step into a project management role once you have completed the course,” he says.

Developing the standard

Wes Robinson of Sellafield’s project delivery directorate chairs the national trailblazer employer development group for project management apprenticeships. A number of other well-known employers are part of the group, including BAE Systems, the BBC, British Airways, Lloyds Banking Group, Royal Mail and Turner & Townsend.

SMEs are also represented, and Sellafield was keen to make sure that their voices were heard alongside those of larger companies as the new level 4 standard was developed.

“To bring industry experts together regularly on working groups was exciting,” says Robinson. “And for Sellafield to lead and coordinate the group was something that I am extremely proud of. I was an apprentice myself, so I appreciate the importance of a good-quality apprenticeship and what it can do for you to set you off on a future career.

“What is special about a trailblazer apprenticeship is that it will ensure that all project management apprentices are measured and assessed against the same competences, regardless of whether they work for a company with 10 employees or one with 10,000 employees. This makes project management available to all, something that is important as we work together to grow the profession.”

Employer guide

APM has launched a comprehensive guide for employers that want to find out more about apprenticeships. It explains what apprenticeships are, the benefits of operating them, the process of setting up an apprenticeship and how the funding works. It also contains case studies that showcase the experiences of apprentices.

Download the guide,

Sally Percy is a freelance business journalist