Beginner project management certifications

This category includes only those certifications that have no entry requirements and are suitable for new project managers or those who have some prior experience in project management and want to gain their first certification.

APM PFQ

The Association for Project Management offers the excellent  Project Fundamentals Qualification . The APM PFQ certification is for newcomers to project management.

Candidates gain the APM PFQ certificate by learning basic project management concepts and terminology which will help you make a positive contribution towards any project.

This certificate is becoming very popular in the UK because it comes from the APM , the Chartered Institute for Project Management.

To gain your APM PFQ certificate, the typical learning path is to take  APM PFQ training which takes 2 days, or 25 hours if studying online.

PRINCE2 Foundation

In the UK, a PRINCE2 certification is considered the industry standard in project management. The  PRINCE2 Foundation  certification tests your knowledge of  the PRINCE2 principles, practices, processes, and terminology of the PRINCE2 methodology . Request a quote

The certification is ideal for anyone who is new to project management making it a popular choice for employers and new project managers alike.

The PRINCE2 Foundation certificate is by far the most common project management certification in the UK.

To gain your PRINCE2 Foundation certificate, the typical learning path is to take [email protected]PRINCE2 Foundation training which takes 2 days, or 20 hours if studying online. +44 (0)207 148 5985

PRINCE2 Agile FoundationCourses

In the UK, PRINCE2 Agile certifications are becoming increasingly popular as more projects operate within an agile environment.PROJECT MANAGEMENT

PRINCE2 Agile Foundation certification is like PRINCE2 Foundation, except that it is aimed at people working in agile environments. The exam tests you on your knowledge of the core PRINCE2 methodology and agile concepts and terminology.PRINCE2

To gain your PRINCE2 Agile Foundation certification, the typical learning path is ®PRINCE2 Agile Foundation trainingFoundation which takes 2 days, or 12 hours if studying online.Learn the fundamentals of the PRINCE2 method.

AgilePM FoundationPractitioner

Another UK certification which is suitable if you are working primarily in an agile environment is the AgilePM Foundation certification from the Agile Business Consortium. This is the most popular agile project management certification in the world, not just in the UK.Includes Foundation & Practitioner combined option.

AgilePM is based upon DSDM, one of the first agile methodologies, and for this certification you are assessed on your knowledge of the underlying agile project framework.Association for Project Management (APM)

To gain your AgilePM Foundation certification, the typical learning path is Project Fundamentals Qualification (PFQ) AgilePM Foundation trainingStart your APM project management career. which takes 3 days, or 20 hours if studying online.Project Management Qualification (PMQ)

PMI CAPMAdvance your APM project management expertise.

The Project Management Institute offers the Project Risk Single Certificate Level 1 Certified Associate in Project ManagementEnhance your project risk management skills. (CAPM)® certification. This certificate tests your knowledge of the fundamentals of project management and common project terminology.AgilePM

Eligibility for this certification requires that you already possess a secondary degree and requires that you attain at least 23 hours of project management education completed before the exam. This certificate needs to be renewed every 5 years.®

It should be noted that the CAPM certification is mostly popular in the USA, Canada, Africa, and Asia, rather than the UK. – Agile Project Management

To gain your CAPM certificate, a typical learning path is Foundation CAPM trainingLearn the key principles of Agile Project Management. which takes 35 hours of online study.Practitioner

Intermediate project management certificationsIncludes Foundation & Practitioner combined option.

Intermediate project certifications usually have some entry requirements. We’ll start with the easiest and make our way up to the hardest.PRINCE2

Intermediate certifications require that you have a more detailed understanding of what project management is all about. These certifications test you on your ability to apply project management principles, practices, and techniques to life-like project scenarios.®

APM PMQ Agile

The Association for Project Management offers the Foundation Project Management QualificationLearn the fundamentals of the PRINCE2 Agile method. which tests whether you have a deeper understanding of project management. The Practitioner APM PMQIncludes Foundation & Practitioner combined option. certification is usually taken by students having a few years’ experience of project management.AI Project Governance Framework (AIPGF)

There is no prerequisite for this certification, so you do not need to hold the APM PFQ certificate already.Foundation

To gain your APM PMQ certificate, the typical learning path is Learn the fundamentals of the governance framework.APM PMQ trainingPractitioner which takes 5 days, or 35 hours if studying online.

PRINCE2 PractitionerIncludes Foundation & Practitioner combined option.

A Better Business CasesPRINCE2 Practitioner™ certification requires that you first hold the PRINCE2 Foundation certificate. The Practitioner certification tests you on your ability to apply PRINCE2 to life-like project scenarios. More particularly, it tests whether you can apply the PRINCE2 principles, practices, and processes to a fictional project scenario.Foundation

After PRINCE2 Foundation, the PRINCE2 Practitioner certification is probably the top project management certification in the UK.Learn the fundamentals of Better Business cases.

To gain your PRINCE2 Practitioner certificate, the typical learning path is Practitioner PRINCE2 Practitioner trainingIncludes Foundation & Practitioner combined option. which takes 2 days, or 15 hours if studying online. Training can also be combined with the Foundation certification. In this case, training takes 4 days, or 35 hours if studying online.P3O

It should be noted that since the release of ®PRINCE2 7Foundation ^{thLearn the fundamentals of the P3O project management office.} editionPractitioner , the prerequisites for the Practitioner certification have changed. You must now hold one of the following certificates:Includes Foundation & Practitioner combined option.

• PRINCE2 Foundation or PRINCE2 Practitioner (6Workshops^{thIntroduction to Project Management} edition)1-day workshop to learn the basics of project management.
• APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ)Project Management Essentials
• APM Project Professional Qualification (PPQ)2-day workshop to learn how to manage projects without getting certified.
• PMIWriting Business Cases ^{®Half-day workshop to learn to write robust business cases.} Certified Associate in Project ManagementAI in Project Management
• PMILearn how to use AI tools in everyday project work.^{®ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)} Project Management Professional (PMP)BCS AI^®Foundation
• IPMALearn the fundamentals of artificial intellegence.^{®AI Project Governance Framework (AIPGF)} Levels A, B, C or D.Foundation

IPMALearn the fundamentals of the governance framework.^{®Practitioner} is a registered trademark of IPMA in Switzerland and other countries.Includes Foundation & Practitioner combined option.

PRINCE2 Agile PractitionerWorkshops

PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner certification requires that you first hold either a PRINCE2 Foundation or PRINCE2 Agile Foundation certificate. It is only suitable if you work in an agile environment and want to apply the PRINCE2 framework. The exam tests you on your ability to apply PRINCE2 appropriately in an agile context.AI in Project Management

To gain your PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner certification, the typical learning path is Learn how to use AI tools in everyday project work.AgilePM which takes 2 days, or 21 hours if studying online. Training can also be combined with the PRINCE2 Agile Foundation. In this case, training takes 4 days, or 33 hours if studying online.®

AgilePM Practitioner – Agile Project Management

AgilePM Practitioner certification requires that you hold an AgilePM Foundation certificate. It is suitable if you want to apply the agile project framework on projects. AgilePM Practitioner is a popular choice for project managers working in an agile context.Foundation

To gain your AgilePM Practitioner certification, the typical learning path is Learn the key principles of Agile Project Management.AgilePM Practitioner trainingPractitioner which takes 1 day, or 15 hours if studying online. Training can also be combined with the AgilePM Foundation in which case, it takes 4 days, or 35 hours if studying online.Includes Foundation & Practitioner combined option.

CompTIA Project+PRINCE2

CompTIA offers some of the leading IT qualifications in the world. CompTIA Project+®^{® Agile} focuses on managing smaller, less complex projects within the IT industry. This certification tests student’s knowledge of the specific industry tools used for documentation and requirements analysis.Foundation

This certification has no prerequisites, but without the recommended 135 hours of IT project development experience, you might find yourself a bit lost.Learn the fundamentals of the PRINCE2 Agile method.

PMI PMPPractitioner

PMI’s Includes Foundation & Practitioner combined option.Project Management ProfessionalScrum (PMP)Scrum Essentials ^{®Self-paced training course to learn the essentials of Scrum.} certification is the most challenging one on this list. To be eligible for this certification you must have 3 years of project management experience and a 4-year college/university degree. Without a degree you require 5 years of project management experience. In both cases you also need at least 35 hours of project management education completed before the exam.Scrum Master

The PMI PMPChoose Scrum Alliance or Scrum.org Scrum Master training courses.^{®Scrum Product Owner} exam covers every aspect of project management from your ability to plan projects to monitoring and controlling project tasks.Choose Scrum Alliance or Scrum.org Product Owner training courses.

Maintaining your PMI PMPAgileBA^®® qualification requires you continuously accumulate Professional Development Units (PDUs), which are one-hour blocks of time that you spend learning, teaching others, or volunteering. – Agile Business Analysis

If you want to gain your PMP certificate, a typical learning path is to take Foundation PMP trainingLearn the fundamentals of Agile Business Analysis. which takes 35 hours of online study.Practitioner

Expert project management certificationsAll 4 courses bundled into this Diploma certification package.

There aren’t a lot of certifications more difficult than those already mentioned. If you want to work as a project manager or are already employed in a project manager, an intermediate certificate will be all you’ll ever need.AgileBA

The following certification tests your in-depth knowledge of project management but is really only valuable if you are already an expert with many years’ experience.®

APM ChPP – Agile Business Analysis

The APM’s own Project Management Chartered Standard (ChPP) examination similarly takes place over 3 days. In the first 2 days you’ll be given coaching by a ChPP professional and get your paperwork in order. On the final day, interviewed a board and will have to provide comprehensive documentation of your work over the past several years.Foundation training

The board will be looking to see that you’ve not only encountered several setbacks in your project management career, but that you’ve also overcome these challenges with a little ingenuity and out-the-box thinking.Learn the fundamentals of Agile Business Analysis.

ConclusionPractitioner

This list of the top project management certifications is by no means complete. There are other project management accreditations out there, these just happen to be the most widely recognized certifications in the UK and EU.4-day course including Foundation.

No matter how much experience you have, or what you’re looking for a project management certification, there’s likely a certificate out there.PMI

If you you’d like to gain any of the certifications listed in this article, why not look at some of the ®project management certification coursesPMI-PBA offered by Knowledge Train.Self-paced course to prepare you for the exam (exam not included).