Project management competences are essential for the successful management of work packages in today’s global business environments. Associated skills such as influencing others, negotiating and the planning and organizing of activities are vital for those who wish to be effective at whatever they do. This is not limited to the work place. These skills are fully transferable to most life and work situations. As such, skills can be used at school, college, university and in private life. These skills should be taught to young students much earlier.
This paper investigates the level of project management that is currently being taught at Secondary Grammar/Gymnasium/Sixth Form schools in the UK, Austria and the Czech Republic. It appears that project management is taught at a relatively small number of selective schools only and that there is a lot of scope and interest to teach young students the essential principles and skills of project management as early as 14 years of age.
The outcome of this research suggests that it is desirable that young students are given the opportunity to learn more about project management competences and skills so they can learn and apply these in their educational, working and private lives.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Happy Projects!'08: Selling Project Management
- Background to the Study
- The Past
- The Present
- The Future
- Research Questions
- Survey Details
- Indicative Data Collection
- UK Examination Bodies: OCR and AQA
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to share the results of a research study examining the current state of project management education in secondary schools for students aged 14 and above in the UK, Austria, and the Czech Republic. The study's objective is to determine if project management is already taught in these schools and to explore the potential benefits and feasibility of introducing it more broadly.
- The need for project management education in secondary schools.
- The transferability of project management skills to various life and work situations.
- The current state of project management education in the UK, Austria, and the Czech Republic.
- The potential impact of project management education on students' confidence, communication skills, and overall success.
- The role of educational authorities and organizations like the APM/PMI in supporting the development and implementation of project management education.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The paper begins with an introduction outlining the increasing importance of project management skills in today's global business environment. It argues that these skills should be taught earlier, starting in secondary school. Chapter 2 provides background information on project management education, highlighting its historical absence in secondary schools and the recent shift towards its inclusion in university curricula. The paper then presents research questions exploring the need for, feasibility of, and potential benefits of teaching project management principles to students aged 14 and above. Chapter 4 details the research methodology, which involved a survey of schools in the UK, Austria, and the Czech Republic, as well as an analysis of examination syllabuses from the OCR and AQA examination bodies in the UK.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The key themes of this paper include project management education, secondary schools, transferability of skills, global business environment, research methodology, survey data, examination bodies, and the APM/PMI.
- Quote paper
- Dr Eddie Fisher (Author), 2008, The principles and skills of project management should be taught much earlier, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/112186
