| Developmental Programme of the Year

This category aims to recognise excellence in the delivery and outcomes/benefits of project management developmental programmes or schemes. This may include (but is not limited to):

• Graduate schemes
• Apprenticeship schemes
• Career development pathways

The category is open to organisations of all kinds, but the programme must be specifically related to educating and developing project, programme and portfolio management skills in their paid or voluntary employees. Entrants can be members or non-members of APM, from both in and outside of the UK.

Entries should take the form of a 1,000-word statement addressing the criteria below and may also include up to two pieces of supporting evidence of no more than one page each which must only include:

• images and/or graphics (no text, just short captions)
• a link to a video no more than 2 minutes in length

Congratulations to our winner...

Judges comments
Alpha Plus’ Project Management Community Development Programme covers not only their early career project managers in their apprenticeships, but also experienced Project Managers through their continuous professional development.

Judges felt that the efforts Alpha Plus implemented to drive Project Management Function and recognition of the profession should be commended.

The Judges liked the emphasis on equality and diversity as well as a focus on the Armed Forces and to see career progression at the higher end of the Project Management competency range. Project Management recruits having access to both an experienced mentor and a coach was also liked by the judges.

AlphaPlus Project Management Community Developmental Programme

AlphaPlus is a project-driven small-size education service consultancy focused on effectively delivering worldwide, a diverse range of projects in standards, assessment and certification.

Since becoming APM’s Corporate Partner in 2021, Nick Karamanis (Head of PMO) has been leading the Developmental Programme of AlphaPlus’s Project Management Community, growing it from 6 Project Managers to currently 15 (7 are PM qualified), as presented at APM’s Northwest conference 2023.

Consequently, AlphaPlus has been delivering high-quality innovative products and services (e-assessments Project of the Year Winner 2020), whilst growing rapidly and maintaining our company culture (Best company to work for Award 2023-24).

D2 Project Management Development Programme

D2's Project Management Development Programme excels in nurturing project management talent through a blend of targeted recruitment, hands-on training within a structured Competency Framework, and clear career progression paths.

Highlighting its commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, D2 has achieved a remarkable balance in workforce diversity, contributing to an innovative and inclusive culture. This approach has propelled D2 to the forefront of delivering major infrastructure projects like the £60M Birmingham bridge and the Transpennine Route Upgrade.

MPower: MIGSO-PCUBED's Apprenticeship Programme

MPower is MIGSO-PCUBED's Apprenticeship Programme focusing on developing a diverse set of future project management professionals via a partnership with the University of Cumbria and their a L6 BSc Project Management Degree.

Category criteria and weighting

Recruitment  20%

• Diverse and inclusive method of selection

Delivery  30%

• Thorough induction
• Programme includes all key competencies of project management
• Programme includes exposure to industry
• Programme includes specific area of responsibility and ownership
• Good level of support and advice on ongoing development and recruitment (e.g. access to employers, or career progression opportunities/education in career pathways in current organisation.)

Potential for impact  50%

• High percentage of people going through the programme progressed to a higher position in project management in the year after completion – use case studies, stats etc.
• The programme has been of benefit to the organisation – i.e. what processes have been improved following lessons learned by those going through the programme. Could include organisational/cultural change as well as project management process improvements.
• The programme has been of benefit to the profession – i.e. what legacy has this programme left/will leave in the future to the profession?