Build a career in project management
Learn how to plan, run and deliver projects properly — and do it on real projects while you earn. Ideal if you already support projects, work in a programme office, or are about to manage your first project.
Earn while you learn
Get paid while gaining a recognised Level 4 qualification, equivalent to the first year of a degree or an HNC.
Career progression
Open doors to project officer, project manager and programme office roles across the NHS, local government, housing, charities and beyond.
Fully funded
No cost to you — training is funded through the apprenticeship levy.
Associate Project Manager: the programme
From 16 months, plus a 5-month Apprenticeship Assessment (AA). Around six hours a week of your working time goes on learning: workshops, online resources, work-based projects and one-to-one time with your tutor.
Planning and scheduling
Define scope, build a realistic plan and schedule, and manage the people and resources a project needs.
Budgets and cost control
Set and track a project budget, forecast spend and report on financial performance.
Risk, issues and change
Identify and manage risks and issues, and keep changes under control so the project stays on course.
Stakeholders and reporting
Engage stakeholders, communicate progress clearly and report to project boards using your organisation's governance routes.
Benefits
- A government-recognised Level 4 Associate Project Manager qualification (ST0310).
- A recognised project management method you use on live projects from the start.
- Monthly workshops, a dedicated assessor and a cohort of peers from across health and care.
- A route to professional membership and more senior project roles.
Suitable roles and profiles
- Project officers, project coordinators and project support officers.
- PMO and programme support staff.
- Administrators and coordinators who are taking on projects.
- Anyone new to managing projects, in health and care or any other sector.
Leading wider service change or managing a team? Take a look at the NHS Transformation and Associate Project Manager.
Three steps to your first day
Talk to your employer
If you're already working, tell your manager you're interested. We can speak to them about funding: it usually costs your employer nothing.
Apply or register your interest
Apply online in about ten minutes, or check our current vacancies if you're looking for a job with training attached.
Meet your tutor
We check your eligibility, agree a training plan with you and your employer, and get you started.
What our apprentices say
The biggest compliment I can give the course is that I only wish I'd discovered apprenticeships earlier! For me, it's a far more engaging and effective way to learn than traditional higher education — and it's helped me thrive both professionally and personally.
I hadn't been in formal education since I was a teenager, so I was a bit nervous at the start. But the structure of the programme, the support from my workplace, and the quality of my tutor quickly put my mind at ease.
The support I received from Community Matters throughout the apprenticeship has been exceptional. The tutors helped me a lot, and I am so proud of the professional skills and knowledge I applied to achieve some really good results.
Ready to earn while you learn?
Apply online in ten minutes, or send us a question. If you already have an employer in mind, we'll talk to them about funding for you.