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Why the world needs more project managers

During his career, Professor Alan Patching has seen project management evolve, rapidly.

The Professor of Project Management has overseen projects the size of the Sydney Olympic Stadium - literally - says project managers have never been in higher demand.

“In 1988, only 8 per cent of companies around the world, outside of oil, gas and construction companies, used project management,” says Professor Patching.

“But today, we need more good project managers.”  

The Project Management Institute (PMI) conducted a study in 2017 across 11 countries, revealing the true extent of the demand and the consequences a skills gap in project management will have on society.

By 2027, the world will need 88.7 million project managers. PMI projects a potential loss of 27.9 billion US dollars across 11 countries if more skilled project managers do not join the workforce.

As Professor Patching explains, the skills of project managers have changed in previous years and Bond’s undergraduate and postgraduate project management degrees are designed to equip graduates with the skills they need for the future role of the project manager.

“The project manager of the future will have expanded repertoires,” he says.

“They can be product managers, agile coaches, design thinkers, change managers.

“The project manager of the future will be a project management entrepreneur, able to turn their skills to the many areas required by major countries across the word looking to take advantage of that $27+ billion loss.”                                                                                            

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