Association for Project Management award first ever charterships (ChPP)

This Wednesday, 31st 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 nearly 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 £423bn. 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 year 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

Full details of the criteria for achieving chartership and the routes to get there can be found on the APM website 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

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