Association for Project Management awards first ever Chartered Project Professional Standard

On Wednesday 31 October, 271 project professionals from across the UK and overseas achieved something unique, becoming the first Chartered Project Professionals in the world. Each of them gains a place on the APM’s new Register of Chartered Project Professionals and are now able to use the new post nominal - ChPP.

Chartership is exclusively awarded by the Association for Project Management (APM) and is a benchmark demonstrating the attainment of a defined level of technical knowledge, professional practice and ethical behaviour.

This first cohort of project professionals consisted of those from nearly 50 different sectors; construction, defence, education, finance, engineering and technology and more. Some of the companies they work for include; Mott MacDonald, PA Consulting, Rolls Royce, Sellafield BT, BAE Systems, Dyson and NHS Digital.

Each Chartered Project Professional 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. Further to this, each successful ChPP has committed to conducting a further 35 hours of CPD per year in order to maintain their chartership.

Debbie Dore, chief executive of APM, said “As of today, project management takes its rightful place at the table alongside other chartered professions including accountancy, engineering & medicine. 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.” She 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”

Simon Maxwell a Senior Project Manager at Dyson was amongst this first cohort said “For me, chartership represents a badge of honour and an independent recognition that ‘this person has been approved’, something that I am 100% certain will really help with anyone’s progression in their career as well as raising the standard of the profession across the board.”

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