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Trailblazer Apprenticeship in Project Management

22 Jul 2018

Passing the APM PMQ is an essential part of the Level 4 Apprenticeship in Project Management; so what are the advantages or disadvantages of taking PMQ this way?

The Apprenticeship programme lasts for a minimum of twelve months or typically two-years. Does completion in a few months with the MSC outweigh the the lower costs of a subsidised Apprenticeship fee.

The Apprenticeship training comprises learning delivered by approved employers and training providers together with an end-point assessment (EPA). The learning includes an IPMA Level D qualification or APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) which must be successfully completed prior to the EPA.


The EPA allows an apprentice to demonstrate application of their knowledge to project management. This assessment comprises a portfolio of evidence, presentation and a professional discussion, assessed by independent assessment. It is the application demonstrated in the portfolio that goes beyond the PMQ, which is based on evaluating only knowledge and understanding.


It is not always easy for apprentices to attend a scheduled sequence of training sessions, so many of the advertised providers seem to prefer a blend of classroom and distance learning. PMQ training (normally five training days) is spread over maybe eight to twelve months. The Apprenticeship Training Providers are inspected by OFSTED rather the APM, so there needs to be more structured teaching and delegate performance measurement to determine whether delegates are keeping up with the course - quizzes, homeworks.


So what can the APM Training Providers offer? The main benefit is speed. The MSC PMQ classroom course is spread over three weeks at two-days-per-week for three weeks; five days of training plus the three-hour examination. This allows delegates to absorb topics and work on sample exam questions between sessions. We do not recommend the five-day boot camp with the exam on the fifth day as it requires extensive pre-course study and allows only minimal time for reflection/revision before the exam. APM publish exam results within six to ten weeks, so the whole time from course booking to receiving the PMQ certificate is often less than three months.