Insight 40 - Magazine - Page 36
93% of East of England SMEs have
‘concerning’ skills gaps in project
management – APM survey
M
ore than nine in ten small-tomedium enterprises (SMEs)
in the East of England have
been identified with “concerning” skills
shortages in project management, putting
at risk the delivery of future projects in
the region, a survey by the Association for
Project Management (APM), the chartered
membership organisation for the project
profession, has found.
APM polled over 500 project professionals
working for UK-based SMEs and 93%
based in the East of England said their
employer needs to improve project skills
across the workforce.
The most popular solution to fixing
the skills gap was ‘recruiting more
widely across different professions’
(selected by 47% of East of England
respondents) followed by ‘training and
upskilling existing employees’ (44%) and
apprenticeships (41%). Respondents could
pick multiple options.
The skills gap was also cited when the
same respondents were asked to rank the
biggest challenges facing project growth.
The top-ranked answer was ‘economic and
political uncertainty’ (36%) followed by
‘lack of investment in training/professional
development within my organisation’
(34%) and ‘a lack of understanding among
employers or team leaders of future skills
needs for project professionals’ (31%).
A large majority (94%) said their employer
has enough time and resources to dedicate
to training and development for project
professionals
However, under two thirds (62%) said
their SME places value on training
and developing or upskilling project
professionals.
Professor Adam Boddison OBE, Chief
Executive of APM, said: “Our survey
sheds vital light on the critical need for
SMEs in the East of England to prioritise
investment in project management.
While it is somewhat encouraging that
employers appear to understand the
unique value of project professionals, it
is concerning that 93% of respondents
36
"By taking action
now to invest
in project skills,
employers can better
streamline their
operations"
believe their SME needs to improve project
skills at such a critical time with net zero,
technology and global events disrupting
business activity across the region.
“Project professionals are at the forefront
of delivering growth and change but they
need skills investment in order to provide
real-time solutions for difficult challenges.
“As SMEs and the sector navigate an
increasingly dynamic landscape, the need
to manage projects effectively becomes
ever more paramount for sustained
growth and success. By taking action
now to invest in project skills, employers
can better streamline their operations
and help ensure projects are delivered to
bIZ4BIZ INSIGHT MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2024
budget, timescales and quality.”
Meanwhile, soft skills were highlighted as
the most important attribute for successful
project delivery. The highest-ranked
answers were adaptability / flexibility and
planning (both 20%) followed by team
management (17%).
The skills gap is defined as the disparity
between skills employers need or find
desirable and the skills current or future
employees possess to meet job role
demands. The term dates to the 1990s
but long-held concerns over the skills gap
remain, exacerbated by globalisation,
technology and the need for more
specialised skills.
It follows APM’s Golden Thread Report
2024 conducted by PwC Research which
found project management contributes to
the UK economy £186.8 billion of annual
gross value added (GVA) – a key measure
of productivity. This was a five-year growth
of over £30bn.
The project profession now employs an
estimated 2.32 million full-time equivalent
workers (FTEs) across all UK sectors, the
report also found. It means 8.5% of the
UK’s total FTEs are employed in projectrelated roles and the profession delivers
over 9% of total UK GVA.