Please can you help me with some advise.I am currently employed as a Senior Engineer responsible for the execution and governance of development to launch engineering programmes within the tier 1 Automotive sector.My aim is to be able to transfer my skills and role in to that of a Programme Manager working on a consultancy basis. However I currently don't possess the "traditional" consultancy/project management CV - mainly consisting of a 4 year engineering degree, 5 years experience and Chartered Engineer status.I have so far had one or two interviews for roles in consultancies without success, suffice to say that one role collapsed due to the respective firm not winning the tendor on which the role was based.However, my question is with respect to PRINCE2 training. What are the options for privately training in PRINCE2 as it seems to be a requisit in many roles - however it also appears that PRINCE2 is a methodology or project framework which is tailored to the requirements of the project undertaken.My current programmes are run within a similar framework and toolset but bespoke to automotive development programmes. However despite the similarities between the process by which I govern my current work and PRINCE2 I am unable to reference PRINCE2 on my CV for obvious reasons.The two main questions would be1) How can I gain my PRINCE2 qualifications?2) Is it worthwhile undertaking privately given that, should a firm want you as a candidate, they could provide the necessary training.

You can do PRINCE2 courses for a couple of grand. You could pay this yourself. Alternatively, since it doesn't sound like you're planning to up sticks immediately, you could ask your current employer to share the load. You might be able to convince them it would help you consolidate your on-the-job learning.Either way, you'll be covering the same material with the same trainers unless your employer decides to lay on bulk training for a group of you. Therefore there isn't much to worry about in terms of quality of the qualification.I would recommend getting the qualification as a way to find access better job opportunities. True, there are some consultancies that will train you on PRINCE2 after taking you on, but the roles that require those skills are often contracted (as you experienced) and pull people in at short notice without the opportunity for formal training. The more pre-training you can give yourself, the more of these roles you'll be able to access, and the more qualification boxes you can tick, the more likely you can be called on for projects.In particular, for public-sector programmes, PRINCE2 is often a standard prerequisite to get past the initial sift of applications for jobs.

Thanks for the pointers, however my current employers are not, and have not, been going through the most prosperous of times and monies for training that would be seen to develop myself beyond the role which I currently do would not be supported - especially if it will increase my potential elsewhere.I'm perfectly willing to fund my own training but I'm not sure P2 would be the best bet to secure a permanent PMO role.My current role also uses a bastardised version of P2, I need a decent way of highlighting this to potential employers.

I will really comment this time and not press tab by mistake.Having recently completed a Prince 2 course for exactly the same reasons as engine-nerd I have two observations:1. The courses focus entirely on passing the exams which are entirely based on the content of the book. The book is available from Amazon and therefore not difficult to get hold off. All of the training material has to be approved by the APM group and therefore I can not see there being much of a difference between training providers except cost being directly proportional to the luxury of the respective venues. All of the providers use the same practice papers and sample answers so you should be able get hold of copies fairly easily. Self study is therefore an option before taking the exams at an independant centre (the exams are still pretty pricey though). 2. If you are an experienced project manager used to using a standard methodology you will have absoloutely no problem passing the foundation paper which is a multiple choice test of your knowledge rather than application. The practioner paper is a little more involved and attempts to test application of the methodology to a case study using long written answers. There is definitely an exam technique to passing this paper and therefore the cramer approach of the training providers probably does have an advantage here. It is therefore entirely possible to know nothing about Prince 2 on day 1 of a course and have passed all the exams by day 5.Owing to the volume rather than difficulty of content to be covered I would personally recommend the course rather than self study route in order that you are not distracted by family and work commitments.Although I am still part way through the interview process I can personally testify to the benefits of Prince 2 on your CV. It lends credibility to previous project management experiences that may not otherwise be relevant to your potential employer and ensures that you get through the initial sift.

That's good pointers there.It's a shame that such a read-learning approach seems to count for so much though.

Unfortunately the people who seem to ask for PRINCE2 the most are in the public sector - it's used as an initial sift and after the McCartney Report it's also a way of CYA for them. If you have properly managed real engineering projects in the past then you are already familiar with the basic skills and issues that come with project management - PRINCE2 merely seems to generate endless reams of paperwork and distracts you from your real task of managing resources and risks to get the job done on time, within budget, to the required standard. That's my personal experience but I'd like to hear from anyone else with a different viewpoint on the practical usefulness of PRINCE2 once you've got past the interview stage. ;-)

Unfortunately, my experience tells me that these project governance tools are not light on beaurocracy as, lets face it, they are based around the metrics on which project are evaluated. I currently use a version of P2 that is morphed and moulded to suit my industry but goes by another name - the processes are pretty much mirrored from P2 and generate the same measurement critique so one ends up spending too much time working on the metrics than taking a project to execution.

Concur - which I think was the point I was trying to make in my previous post. My background is aerospace/defence so I am au fait with all sorts of PM methods.The PRINCE2 principles are pretty much standard PM, so you can always claim that you "are familiar with PRINCE2 principles" and in your case methodology as well. Although this by itself won't get you past the initial sift for any position specifically demanding PRINCE2 qualifications it will be a bonus factor for other, private sector facing opportunities.Alternatively, you could just sit the requisite exams to become a PRINCE2 practitioner and write the fees off against tax if your employer doesn't want to sponsor you. See the IR website for details.

Good call, will give that route a go.

I am a Prince 2 practitioner and must stress that the art of making Prince 2 work for your project is in its ability to be tailored to any type of project - big or small, public or private. See Colin Bentley's books on this and judge for yourself.

Sure, I don't think any of use are saying it's pointless.Much of the governance and reporting methods are quite high maintanence, depends on the emphasis an organisation will place on metrics.