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I have been looking into project management qualifications on behalf of my department for junior, intermediate and senior project managers. I would like to recommend courses at these levels that will be useful in a practical sense in the context of IT and cover most of the key topics.

The article at http://www.arraspeople.co.uk/project-management-careers-advice/ppm-qualifications/ has been extremely useful and presents the most comprehensive summary of what qualifications are available, however it is not clear to me whether those offered by ISEB, APM, PRINCE2 or PMI would be of most benefit specifically the UK IT industry. Is there anyone here who has gained more than one of the qualifications who provide some insight?

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  • I asked a related question ( pm.stackexchange.com/questions/1533/… ) which has elicited some interesting discussion relating to PRINCE 2 and PMP.
    – Iain9688
    Commented Apr 7, 2011 at 19:35
  • @Iain9688 Thanks. The ISEB qualification looks to be the most relevant, however the first I had learned about it was from recently reading the article I linked to above. I've known about the others for years so have a concern that the ISEB one is more expensive and not as recognised, however I'm looking for the most practical course/ qualification that 'teaches' good project management. Is the ISEB PM qualification the 'change' equivalent of their ITIL 'operational' qualification?
    – Andrew Doran
    Commented Apr 8, 2011 at 8:05
  • Hi @andrew. Welcome to project management SE. Your question is well written and detailed, but it is too localized because it is limited to a specific geographic area. Please check out the FAQ for more information on what questions are on-topic. This question may be closed for being too localized, but the question and answers will still be available for reference.
    – jmort253
    Commented Apr 11, 2011 at 3:56

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I think the answer to your question depends upon which roles you are seeking in the IT Industry. Are you seeking a project management (PM) role, or a more technical role?

If you are seeking a PM role, then in the UK, PRINCE2 is the usual qualification which employers are seeking. I used to be a contract PM in the IT industry and recruitment agencies 8 years ago were recommending me to become PRINCE2 qualified, which is what I did. If however, you are seeking a PM role in the US, or in Asia, then probably get the PMI certification because PRINCE2 is not really known in these areas, but PMI is well known there.

To be honest, it is rare to see APM PM qualifications asked for in the UK.

On the other hand, if you are seeking a more technical role, for example in IT support, then I would recommend the ISEB ITIL qualifications. ITIL is used all over the world, so these qualifications are useful in any country. Within the ISEB qualifications there are a wide range to choose from: software testing if this is the career you want, business analysis if you want to get into change management, solution development if you want to get into systems analysis and design, and ITIL if you want to get into IT support.

So, I think you need to figure out what role exactly do you want to do.

As a PRINCE2 trainer, I can tell you the demand PRINCE2 training is hugely popular as are the ITIL qualifications. Within the ISEB set, business analysis qualifications are becoming more and more popular. I hope that helps.

Simon

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  • @user862 Thank you for taking the time to answer. I'm not actively seeking a role and have tried to focus the question on which qualification would be of most practical benefit, not necessarily as a stepping stone to changing jobs. I agree with your points on PRINCE2 being the 'standard' qualification in demand in the UK and likewise the PMI qualification in the US; from what I have read the ISEB qualification looks to be the most relevant to IT project management but I think this is the least known of all of the qualifications which is why I question my view.
    – Andrew Doran
    Commented Apr 8, 2011 at 12:32

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