World Youth Skills Day 2023: Skills for the future of projects

Changes in technology and working practices, means that younger generations will need to adapt to the changing skills requirements in an ever-changing world of work.

World Youth Skills Day, taking place on 15 July, focuses on transforming youth skills for the future to ensure young people of today are prepared for future employment, whichever career they choose.

Project management is an attractive first choice career for younger generations, as it offers financial rewards (average salary of £47,500) as well as the opportunities to work in various industries and sectors such as construction, engineering, IT, healthcare and finance.

The top three most important skills considered to be needed for success in a career in projects are:

• Communications skills (as voted for by 44% of respondents in APM’s latest Salary and Market Trends Survey 2023)
• Project leadership (38%)
• Stakeholder engagement (34%)

The communication skillset – listening, verbal, non-verbal, public speaking, empathy, leadership communication and organisation – are considered vital for any aspiring projects manager, and indeed a range of other careers can each be learned through training and skills development. 

Professor Adam Boddison OBE, Chief Executive of APM, said, “Communication skills being considered a key skill requirement for future project practitioners is a true reflection of the changing working cultures impacting the profession today, where the ability to communicate quickly and effectively remains a vital requirement between teams, and something that the younger generation particularly values.

“Projects are a team effort and so effective communications skills are of paramount importance for success. APM studies have shown that lack of communication is one of the biggest contributors to project failure, and so for anyone embarking on a career in project management, developing strong communications skills is key. APM has resources available offering insights and advice on how to develop and improve these skills.”

To help support young people in developing their considering a career in project management, APM resources are available to help for anyone just starting out or considering a career in project management including webinars, information, Project Me guide, blogs and APM student membership which is free and open to full and part-time students as well as apprentices aged 16 and over.