Jan 11, 2017

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The Increasing Need for Project Managers in South Africa

The megatrend towards project management in organisations is fast gaining traction, and we’re facing a severe shortage of skilled project managers in South Africa.

Find out more about why SA businesses are turning to project management to improve the way they work.

As business interactions between and within organisations become ever more complex, the need to effectively manage available time and resources becomes vital. As such, and coupled with significant investment in infrastructure and service, the demand for project management (PM) skills in South Africa has increased significantly across a wide variety of industries.

Why is project management important to modern organisations?
  • Human-focused

A project approach provides a creative, empowering and hands-on approach, in line with the needs of the modern employee.

  • Efficient

A successful project manager makes use of resources to their maximum capability and efficiency and can avoid risks, confusion, and delays.

  • Flexible, but structured

Project management addresses the two fundamental needs of a modern organisation: to be adaptable to change and to be structured and organised.

  • Increases performance

A global survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers revealed that 97% of organisations believe project management is critical to business performance and organisational success.

The growing demand for project management skills in South Africa
  1. Nearly 70% of South African organisations have a career path for those engaged in project management training
  2.  The SA Medium-Term Expenditure Framework set aside R845 billion for public sector infrastructure projects
  3.  Africa’s market of middle-class consumers is expected to soar to 1.1 billion by 2060, increasing services and development projects
Project management skills are needed across a range of industries
  • Construction
  • Biotechnology
  • Retail
  • Business services
  • Engineering
  • Architecture
  • Manufacturing
  • Real estate development
Key skills needed to be a project manager
  1. Interpersonal
  2. Organisational
  3. Time management
  4. Communication
  5. Negotiation
  6. Leadership

If you think you have what it takes to fill the gap as an expert project manager, find out more about the UCT Project Management Foundations online short course or the UCT Advanced Project Management online short course.

project management skills

Filed under: Project management