Associate Project Manager Apprenticeship – Project Management CertHE

Our degree apprenticeship courses

We currently offer a range of degree apprenticeship courses. For the full range of courses visit our apprenticeships page for applicants or for business partners.

Who is this course for?

Our apprenticeships are only available to those employed as part of an agreed apprenticeship scheme in a related role, who are aged 16 or over, are not in full-time education and meet the ESFA funding eligibility criteria. They must also meet the academic entry requirements of the course.

To be eligible for funding apprentices must: 

• have the right to work and study in England
• be in relevant employment and work for a minimum of 30 hours per week. The employment contract must cover the entire duration of the apprenticeship
• spend at least 50% of their working hours in England over the duration of the apprenticeship
• have been ordinarily resident in the UK or EEA for three years before the apprenticeship start date
• only apply if the apprenticeship leads to substantive new skills and if learning is materially different from any prior qualifications

Course summary

The discipline of project management is growing in significance within public and private sectors, and demand for qualified project managers is high. Combining current industry practice with project management theories, this two-year course offers the chance to gain an Association for Project Management (APM) qualification, together with the relevant skills and knowledge to define project scope, understand the project business justification, and manage stakeholders.

Apprentices will gain a deeper understanding of how organisations function, the role of an associate project manager and how this assists a more experienced manager to ensure projects are completed efficiently and effectively.

The apprenticeship leads to a Certificate in Higher Education (CertHE), equivalent to Level 4, the first year of a traditional undergraduate degree, and offers progression to gain a full BSc Honours in Project Management on our Level 6 Project Manager apprenticeship.

Apprentices spend a minimum of 30 hours in work each week and 20% of their time learning outside the organisation, supported by their employer to ‘earn while they learn’ without paying course fees.

Our focus on work-based learning means that projects will be tailored to the apprentice’s industry organisation. They learn from real-life examples, practical sessions, site visits and guest speakers.

Register apprentices here

Course structure

This is a two-year course. Apprentices must already work in the field of project management or for an employer able to offer this opportunity. Time spent on work and training is split 80/20, meaning the apprentices spend 20% of their time learning, which can include time at the University and work-based training, linked to the apprenticeship, provided by the employer.

Year 1 lays the foundations of project management. Apprentices learn how to initiate a project from the outset. They come to understand the contexts of projects, and how projects are defined in a way that guarantees clarity and minimises conflict, risks and inefficiencies later on.

Year 2 includes communication skills, the project business case, stakeholder management and benefits management. Apprentices take the APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) exam and their end point assessment (EPA), a presentation supported by a portfolio of evidence and professional discussion.

Subjects of study include:

• Foundations of Project Management
• Project Scope and Quality Management
• Initiating a Project
• Communication and Stakeholder Management
• Project Justification and Benefits Management

Credit level 4

Accreditations

When joining, apprentices may become student members of the Association for Project Management (APM) and will be eligible for progression to associate membership upon successful completion. Full membership can be attained through further experience and professional development. As part of the on-programme assessment, apprentices can obtain APM’s PMQ Certificate.

The University of Westminster is an Accredited Training Organisation (ATO) for professional training courses including PRINCE2© and AgilePM©. Apprentices may choose to do one or more of these short courses in their own time at an extra cost.

Programme specification

For more details on course structure and modules, and how you will be taught and assessed, see the programme specification.

To request an accessible version of the programme specification, please email [email protected].

Download the Programme Specification

Entry requirements and eligibility

To be eligible for our apprenticeships, applicants must be aged 16 or over, employed as part of an agreed apprenticeship scheme and must meet the ESFA funding eligibility criteria.

Applicants must also meet the academic entry requirements of the course:

• A Levels – BCC to BBB
• International Baccalaureate – 104 to 120 UCAS Tariff points from the IB
• BTEC Extended Diploma – DMM to DDM
• BTEC Diploma – D*D to D*D*
• Access – 104 to 120 UCAS Tariff points from the Access course

In addition to the above, it is a requirement that all applicants can demonstrate competency at a Level 2 standard in English and maths. This will be assessed during the application process, as part of the initial assessment stage.

It is a mandatory requirement, that in order for an apprentice to reach End Point Assessment, they must hold a Level 2 achievement in English and maths and be able to provide a copy of the original certificate of achievement.

Current acceptable evidence can be found on the Education and Skills Funding Agency's list of acceptable qualifications for English and maths requirements.

Those who are able to demonstrate competence at Level 2 but who are unable to provide evidence of prior attainment, such as a GCSE at grade C or 4 and above in English and Maths, will be required to obtain this during their first year of the apprenticeship. The University of Westminster will support any apprentice this affects, by facilitating an option to study for Level 2 Functional Skills English and maths with a partner organisation, in order to meet the requirement to progress to year two of the apprenticeship.

Fees

Employers who pay the levy are able to use their available levy funds to cover the training and assessment costs. Employers who do not pay the apprenticeship levy share the cost of training and assessing their apprentices with the government – this is called 'co-investment'. Non-levy paying employers will contribute 5% towards the cost of apprenticeship training and the government will pay the rest (95%) up to the funding band maximum.

Please note, the AMP PMQ qualification is a chargeable extra and is not included in the levy fund.

Careers/professional development

This apprenticeship complements and enhances workplace knowledge and experience, boosting the apprentice’s career prospects. It also demonstrates the employer’s commitment to staff development, enhancing their appeal to future employees. As a project team leader or associate/assistant/junior project manager, apprentices will be able to work as part of a motivated project team and support project managers. They will know what needs to be achieved, how to achieve it, how long it will take and how much it will cost.

On successful completion, apprentices can progress to the Project Manager degree apprenticeship and obtain a BSc Honours in Project Management.

Course Leader

Dania Issa

Dania joined the University of Westminster in 2016 after previously working as a PhD researcher and a teaching assistant at the University of Manchester. Dania has both academic and industry experience working as a project planner, assistant project manager, lecturer and researcher, both in the UK and abroad. She teaches Risk Management for Complex Projects, Project Planning, International Project Management, and Project Management in Practice. Research interests include public private partnership projects, complexity and chaos theories, system thinking, risk management and sustainability.

Teaching and assessment

This is how you can expect to be taught and assessed at the University of Westminster. Your apprenticeship will include additional requirements, agreed in partnership with your employer, designed to develop and evidence your skills in the workplace.

How you'll be taught

Teaching methods across all our undergraduate courses focus on active student learning through lectures, seminars, workshops, problem-based and blended learning, and where appropriate practical application.

Learning typically falls into two broad categories:

• Scheduled hours: examples include lectures, seminars, practical classes, workshops, supervised time in a studio
• Independent study: non-scheduled time in which students are expected to study independently. This may include preparation for scheduled sessions, follow-up work, wider reading or practice, completion of assessment tasks, or revision

How you'll be assessed

Our undergraduate courses include a wide variety of assessments.

Assessments typically fall into three broad categories:

• Practical: examples include presentations, videos, podcasts, lab work, creating artefacts  
• Written exams: end of semester exams
• Coursework: examples include essays, reports, in-class tests, portfolios, dissertations

Course location

Our Marylebone Campus has benefitted from a multi-million-pound refurbishment resulting in new workshops, digital studios and development of the Marylebone Library. The campus is home to Westminster Business School and our award-winning Architecture, Planning and Tourism courses.

For more details, visit our Marylebone Campus page.

Contact us

We are keen to establish new relationships with employers from a wide range of sectors and welcome enquiries. For more information please contact our dedicated apprenticeships team on:

+44 (0) 207 911 5027
[email protected]