DanStrayer
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Arras People’s Gary Holmes Decorated by Association for Project Management
Dec 21st
Gary Holmes was recognised by the APM today for attaining the APMP certification.
HEYWOOD, LANCASHIRE, 21 Dec 2011 – Arras People Project Management Consultant Gary Holmes was recognised today by the Association for Project Management (APM) by attaining the APMP qualification.
Following a long process of study and an October examination certified by the APM, Gary was alerted by the leading professional body for project management that he had indeed successfully completed this monumental step in his continued commitment to professionalism in project management.
Throughout the studying process, Gary provided Arras People’s general blog, How to Manage a Camel, with a running series of posts about his approach to passing the APMP examination. Attainment of the certification, according an APMP Guidance Notes document from APM, required “a three hour paper where candidates must answer ten from sixteen questions covering 37 syllabus topics”. The syllabus of reference for those 37 topics was the APM Body of Knowledge 5th Edition.
Now having been notified of passing the exam and receiving the APMP certification, Gary can point to the news as a great professional Christmas gift.
“I’m really delighted to have passed the exam and its great receiving my results just before the Christmas break. Getting the right result is obviously fantastic, but even without it I feel the work leading up to the exam has been tremendously worthwhile in terms of cementing my project management experience and knowledge,” Holmes said.
By attaining APMP certification, Holmes’ status within project management is now aligned worldwide with the International Project Management Association (IPMA) Level D classification.
Gary’s achievement serves as another indication of how project management consultants at Arras People find it essential that they remain committed to the ideals, standards and trends within the practise of project & programme management. As a former practitioner within project management, Gary’s history within projects lends himself well to speak to the current events and practise to begin with.
Prior to becoming a project management consultant, Gary worked in financial services in PMO, programme coordinator and project coordinator roles. Since his arrival at Arras People in 2008, Gary has consulted with thousands of fellow project managers and liaised with firms looking to improve their project management capabilities, all whilst offering personalised careers advice to struggling candidates through the Arras People Project Management Careers Clinics.
“The knowledge I have acquired in this process will undoubtedly aid me moving forward, not only in terms of how I interact with clients and customers but also with candidates and the wider PM community. As a Project Management qualification I would certainly recommend APMP to those who are looking to attain formal accreditation,” Holmes said.
John Thorpe, managing director of Arras People, praised Gary’s achievement today.
“We are really happy that Gary has been able to convert his experience and hard work studying into this accreditation. This is good news not only for Gary and Arras People but also sets the standard that all clients should demand of project management recruiters.” Thorpe said.
ABOUT ARRAS PEOPLE
Arras People is a Project Management company that is predominantly working in the Recruitment and Resourcing areas of Programme and Project Management where they bring Programme and Project knowledge and experience to the marketplace. Arras People works with some of the Top 20 project management consultancies in the UK, public sector (central and local government), IT, engineering, marketing/media organizations, not for profit and charities placing Permanent, Interim and Temporary Project Professionals.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
John Thorpe, Managing Director
Arras People
Arras House, 47 York Street, Heywood, Lancashire OL10 4NN
Tel: 0845 680 6444 Fax: 0845 680 8047
enquire@arraspeople.co.uk
http://www.arraspeople.co.uk
FOR MORE ON THIS PRESS RELEASE:
Dan Strayer, PR/Marketing Coordinator
Arras People
Arras House, 47 York Street, Heywood, Lancashire OL10 4NN
Tel: 0845 680 6444
dan.strayer@arraspeople.co.uk
http://www.arraspeople.co.uk
Arras People Kicks Off the APM Roadshow Season
Sep 1st
The latest dates for the APM Roadshow talks are – Derby 13th October, Leeds 25th October, Milton Keynes 24th November. Just click through to book your place.
Over the last three years, the project management marketplace has seen winners and losers. Demand for project managers has increased significantly in some sectors whilst others have suffered through cutbacks and redundancies. John Thorpe kicks off the presentation with an overview of the current conditions in the project management marketplace.
John will be presenting answers to these crucial questions;
- How are the salary and rates currently holding up?
- Which sectors are experiencing a demand for project management talent?
- What are organisations looking for in their project professionals?
The project management recruitment market has seen changes over the last three years. It has become increasingly competitive, with many project professionals experiencing frustration in finding the right opportunity and successfully interviewing for roles.
Lindsay Scott shares her experiences and insights into how project managers can differentiate themselves and standout in a crowded marketplace. Lindsay will provide practical guidance on how to find the right career opportunity; how to present yourself (against what organisations are looking for); and the project management CV.
John Thorpe and Lindsay Scott are Directors of Arras People, a project management recruitment specialist. From 2002, Arras People have worked with organisations across all industry sectors and business functions placing project professionals in contract and permanent roles. Arras People are also known for their annual project management benchmark report and quarterly project management salary guides.
>> Visit the APM events page for more details and bookings
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The team at Arras People are kicking off a series of Project Management Careers and Marketplace talks at the Association for Project Management (APM) Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire 
branch meetings. Meetings held in the region will feature a main topic presenter followed by a short, punchy 30 minute project management careers based talk by Arras People.
The series starts on the 12th July 2011 with John Thorpe, Managing Director at Arras People who will be looking at the Current Project Management Marketplace. The talk will cover current salary and rate levels; current demands in training and qualifications from organisations looking for project management talent; and key information from the Project Management Benchmark Report which covers the market in 2011.
Dates are also scheduled for 21st September and 5th October where Dr Michael Hides and Lindsay Scott, respectively, will be talking about current topical areas in project management careers development and the marketplace.
Each session promises to be a practical thought provoking look at how the project management marketplace is operating at key points of the year; investigate key themes that impact a project professional’s career and provide insider tips on the recruitment market.
“We’ve been corporate members of the APM for a number of years and the branch meetings are well attended by everyone at Arras,” said Lindsay Scott, Client Services Director of Arras People. “This short and sweet style of talks gives us an opportunity to take some of our project management careers advice to a wider audience and it doesn’t matter how experienced the audience is in project management there is always something new to learn about the marketplace.”
Philip Smelt, Chairman of the Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire Branch of the APM said “we seized upon this opportunity offered by Arras People to keep our members informed of the project management job market, particularly in these difficult times.”
Attendance at APM Branch meetings is free for APM members and £10 for non-members.
Events can be booked through the APM website at: http://www.apm.org.uk/events
The first event on the 12th July can be booked directly at: http://www.apm.org.uk/event/influencer-power-change-anything-0
Arras People Seeking Views on Higher Education and PPM
Aug 4th
Arras People, the project management recruitment specialists, are currently soliciting the views of a variety of personnel affiliated with both higher education and project management ties to better understand where the development of tomorrow’s project managers is heading in the near future.
Take the Higher Education & PPM Survey from Arras People today!
Here are some of the areas available to those who wish to make their voice heard on these matters:
- Take part in the short survey (takes just 3 minutes!) about the training & development preferences on PPM personnel, including those who use training companies, higher education, CPD, on-the-job experiences and many other tools in their development (the survey can only be taken once).
- On LinkedIn, we’ve started a discussion on degrees & PPM that has grown considerably in popularity. The discussion leads the action on the Arras People Group page, but we’ve also received some early feedback from other groups as well, including The Association for Project Management, Project Managers on Twitter and the PMOSIG. Members of LinkedIn are encouraged to join any or all of these groups to add your two cents.
- At the APM website, we’ve opened up a dialogue within the Association for Project Management’s forum community on this topic, hoping to better understand the organisational view.
“Social media outlets have shown themselves to be a great way to gather the pulse of what is going on in the PPM world, particularly as the industry moves toward professionalised accreditation status,” says Dan Strayer, editor of Project Management Tipoffs, and coordinator of media projects for Arras People. “We’ve long believed that a universities directory is overdue for public consumption, and it’s our feeling that the information from our social media undertakings in the weeks ahead will provide the directory with a great lead into the collective PPM students’ conscience.”
The September Tipoffs issue, which is available free to subscribers, is due to be released 15th September, with the directory for Higher Education’s release date still to be announced. Previews of the Higher Education issue and other upcoming editions are available on the Tipoffs Production Schedule page, and you can also have a look at past issues in our Archives section.
Arras People Presents PPM Insider White Paper on Quarter 2 Market Conditions
Jul 21st
Arras People released their fourth PPM Insider white paper today regarding the current state of the project & programme management recruitment market in the UK.
The latest edition of PPM Insider points to a variety of discoveries about the market at large during Quarter 2 (Apr-June 2011). For one, project management personnel remain apprehensive about changing jobs despite the anticipated impacts of inflation, low pay rises, negative media and even fears about the true status of the economic recovery.
We once again pitted public versus private sector remuneration, learning that the long-held view that within the private sector sat greater worker pay and benefits might no longer be the reality. Using data from both the ONS and Policy Exchange, Arras People surmised that private sector pay needs a jolt in order to begin keeping pace with a recovering economy after cutbacks and sacrifices became a temporary norm only a few years ago.
Issue 4 also reveals that more candidates are refusing job offers in recent months than in previous quarters. The driving force seems to be candidates’ need to settle down into the “right role”, another perspective alteration that parallels recovery-based thinking. Employers’ ability to meet their recruitment requirements may suffer for increased job seeker self-confidence.
“This, linked with the lack of candidate churn, may well lead to increased recruitment costs and extended recruitment cycles for many potential employers,” PPM Insider reveals.
Managing Director John Thorpe traditionally collates the report for Arras People. He said recently, “The lack of churn in the market caused by ongoing fears and insecurity amongst candidates will have a significant impact on companies ability to fill open vacancies with appropriate talent over the coming months. Whilst there may be job seekers, this does not always equate to suitable talent. As such companies will have to review again how they can tempt people to change organisation and which channels will help them identify suitable talent in the programme and project management domain”.
The PPM Insider is a quarterly publication launched in November 2010 and produced by Arras People, the UK Specialists in Project & Programme Management Recruitment Services. The report features original data which has been collected and compiled by Arras People in order to produce the most up-to date picture of the UK’s PPM sector including salary and day rate data.
Copies of the report are available on subscription from Arras People. Those interested in receiving the quarterly paper should get in touch with Arras People via email at PPMI@arraspeople.co.uk. Alternatively, those interested in receiving a copy should go to http://www.arraspeople.co.uk/project-management-recruitment-agencies/project-management-salary-rates-salaries-ppminsider/ to learn more about this quarterly compendium of analysis of UK free market and PPM personnel.
Arras People to Exhibit at PMI Global Congress Event
Apr 11th
HEYWOOD, LANCASHIRE, 11th April 2011 – Arras People, the project management recruitment specialists, will be in attendance at the three-day PMI® Global Congress EMEA this May in Dublin.
The worldwide decorated event, to be held at Convention Centre Dublin 9-11th May, is a grand networking opportunity for those within the project management profession to network and sample the expertise of over 800 practitioners in the field of project management. Run by the Project Management Institute (PMI®), the three-day professional extravaganza will give PPM peers sufficient opportunities to discuss common issues within the trade, as well discover innovative solutions and best practices while discovering more about the latest trends, tools and techniques from project management experts worldwide.
Arras People will send John Thorpe (Managing Director) and Lindsay Scott (Client Services Director) to the conference to display as part of the Careers Central recruitment booths in the exhibit hall of the Congress, which offers a highly targeted platform for companies to target & recruit top project management talent.
Scott currently maintains a quarterly magazine column for PMI’s American trade magazine PM Network that targets careers-related issues for the professional project management audience. Both Scott and Thorpe have served as directors of Arras People since its 2002 inception. Since those beginnings, both continue to look forward to any opportunities that allow them to interact directly with project management professionals and provide project management careers expertise.
“Being at the EMEA Global Congress is a great opportunity to provide the same kind of practical advice I cover in the PM Network magazine,” Scott says. “Each day Arras People provides 1-2-1 careers advice and consultations to project professionals so I know how popular and welcomed the opportunity is to talk to a third party about careers and opportunities. It will certainly be a busy three days for us.”
Opportunities to attend this event are still available, and it’s unclear to date if this internationally-renowned PMI event may not come as close to UK shores again in the near future. Check out the PMI Global Congress 2011 website (http://congresses.pmi.org/EMEA2011/) to learn more about this event.
END
About Arras People
Arras People is a Project Management company that is predominantly working in the Recruitment and Resourcing areas of Programme and Project Management where they bring Programme and Project knowledge and experience to the marketplace. Arras People works with some of the Top 20 project management consultancies in the UK, including public sector (central and local government), IT, engineering, and marketing/media organizations, as well as several not-for-profit and charities placing Permanent, Interim and Temporary Project Professionals.
Arras People Release Report of the UK Project Management Market 2011
Feb 18th
Heywood, Lancashire, UK, 18th February 2011: Arras People, the project management recruitment specialists, used independent research company Benchpoint’s™ unique real time polling technology to question 1525 permanent and contract Programme and Project Management Professionals during January 2011.
The Project Management Benchmark Report 2011 shows how the UK’s economic turbulence is affecting project management practitioners’ earnings, aspirations and professional life.
As we entered 2011 talk still abounded about a possible double dip recession and levels of business confidence were questioned; VAT increased to 20%; food and energy prices were on the up, and a raft of other tax changes appeared in the pipeline. Added to all that, the wider impact of the deficit reduction programme started to become apparent as news of cuts and job losses started to appear.
So overall we had lots to ask our respondents about their economic well being and job security through our survey. This year we also took the opportunity to revisit training and accreditation, professionalism and explored the impact of social media in the world of project management.
Survey highlights:
- For 83% of practitioners, remuneration was down during 2010 both in real terms and against increased levels of inflation
- Amongst the public sector employees, 14% of respondents entered 2011 under the threat of redundancy
- Unemployment amongst the PPM respondents recorded at 15%
- Practitioners reported an increased feeling that ageism is once again flourishing in the recruitment process
- After a tough couple of years contractors report seeing light at the end of the tunnel with more opportunity, though rates are still under pressure
- Private sector confidence rising, though pay is not; whilst the public sector prepare for hard times
- Training budgets under further strain in 2011, but Prince2 still holds it dominating position as the de-facto standard
- Only 37% of respondents are aware of their organisations social media policy
- One respondent reports that the much maligned “office smoker” has a new challenger in the form of “social media users” in respect of time off the job!
Commented John Thorpe, Managing Director of Arras People, “This is our sixth annual survey of the project management profession here in the UK, and we are continuing to build an unparalleled repository of information which gives both employers and practitioners a valuable insight into what is happening in this important market.
“Whilst the current market is still tough for many practitioners in both the public and private sectors; we can see clear indications of rising confidence and increased opportunity in the private sector; at the same time the public sector is moving in the opposite direction with low confidence, stagnant earnings and the anticipation of job losses.”
The full version of the report can be downloaded from the Arras People Website at: http://www.arraspeople.co.uk/project-and-programme-management-resources/the-project-management-benchmark-report-from-arras-people-2011/
NOTES ABOUT THE REPORT
Survey methodology and demographics
- Arras People carried out a Benchpoint™ on-line survey in January 2011. Emails were sent to eligible respondents and 1525 responses were received.
- There is a confidence level of 95% and a error margin of +/- 2.49%. (We are 95% sure that any given answer is within plus or minus 2.49% of what the general population of project management professionals would answer).
- Survey demographics:
- Status – Employee 56%; Contractor 29%; Unemployed 15%
- Gender – Male 70%; Female 30%
- Age – Under 34 24%; 35-49 46%; 50+ 29%
- 60% from London & South east, the rest evenly distributed between the regions
- Sectors – Private sector 52%; Public sector 28%; Charity/NFP sector 4 %
About Arras People:
Arras People is the Project Management Recruitment Division of Arras Services Ltd. Arras People provides programme and project management professionals and professional project office support personnel across all industry sectors, for either permanent, contract or interim positions.
Arras Services began trading in February 2002, and now provides its services to many of UK’s leading blue chip organisations in the UK, as well as public sector (central and local government), IT, engineering, marketing and media organizations, not for profit and charities.
Contacts:
Richard Gaunt MCIPR
Gaunt Corporate Affairs and Business communication
London
W4 3AP
0771 1691928
Lindsay Scott, Arras People
47 York Street
Heywood
Lancashire OL10 4NN
Tel: 0845 680 6444
Fax: 0845 680 8047
![ppmcomm_header[1]](http://www.arraspeople.co.uk/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/ppmcomm_header1-64x64.jpg "ppmcomm_header[1]")
Arras People Acquires PPM Community Blog Portal
Jan 6th
06 January 2011 – Arras People, the project management recruitment people, have acquired the rights to the Project & Programme Management (PPM) Community blog and all of its holdings.
The PPM Community blog, originated in 2010, serves as a hub for a variety of popular sites in the project and programme management blogosphere that wish to share with readers their blog’s specific aims. PPM Community’s many features include a Top 100 list of PPM blogs, a feature blogs window on the front page (powered in part by a highly-visited public rating system as chosen by the viewing public), and a blog suggestion page that allows individual bloggers seeking more exposure to extol the virtues of their individual project blogs.
Additionally, Arras People have announced that there will be no major overhaul of the design or practices of the PPM blogosphere hub site, which currently maintains Top 5 Google rankings within its core base of keywords, including “ppm blogs” (1st & 2nd), “ppm blogosphere” (1st through 4th), “project & programme management blog” (5th) and “programme management blogosphere” (2nd through 4th).* Plans are in place to increase the visibility of the website throughout the project and programme management community.
“The PPMCommunity.com model has developed a landing spot for worldwide project management blogs. It surprised me just how many project management related blogs there are out there” said Lindsay Scott of Arras People. “We were approached by the previous owners to take over the maintenance because of our own efforts in project management blogging and we jumped at the chance because it is a great reference site for the project management community”
PPM Community allows bloggers to hone in on a variety of project management industry-related targets when submitting their sites for approval. Currently, the site features over 23 different categories of project management focus, including best practice, leadership, risk management and tools & technology. In all, 72 blogs currently feature on the site, and Arras People will continue to solicit new additions to the project & programme management blogosphere on a regular basis.
To be featured on the website, project management bloggers can submit their site details for free through the ppmcommunity.com website.
Readers can discover the popular hub online at http://www.ppmcommunity.com/, as well as on Twitter @ppmcommunity.
Arras People’s PM Benchmark Survey Opens Today
Dec 10th
For the sixth consecutive year, Arras People, the project management recruitment people, will tap the feelings and views of project & programme management professionals throughout the UK. The 2011 Arras People Project Management Benchmark Survey opened Thursday to UK-based PPM professionals, re-opening an annual project of determining the climate and mood of the Britons who tackle project & programme management each day.
Once all responses are collated, the ensuing Project Management Benchmark Report (PMBR) provides a comprehensive, up-to-date picture of what is happening in the project & programme management fields, a study without parallel in the UK. Such is the PMBR’s national and international regard by fellow professionals and students of the industry that those who cite its findings continuously since its 2005 founding that the Benchmark Report today stands as the most respected report on the PM marketplace available in the UK.
The PMBR has been cited often in many different presentations worldwide since its inception in 2005; additionally, project management professionals have repeatedly cited the Report when looking to present current data and trends in the profession. The Arras People study remains the only report targeting the climate of project & programme management through the direct polling of practitioners and professionals within PPM.
Participants in the survey will have the opportunity to receive a free copy of the final PMBR upon its release, which is tentatively scheduled for late January 2011. One fortunate participant in line to receive a free Apple iPad, compliments of Arras People. Non-participants in the survey will not have full access to the report’s findings until mid-2011.
Only UK-based project management professionals are invited to participate in the 2011 Arras People Project Management Benchmark Survey. Individuals can take the survey online – survey now closed
Scott Advises New Project Managers in Podcast
Lindsay Scott, co-founder of Arrs People, provided information and hints about breaking into the project management trade in interview with the Project Management Institute.
Scott’s answers to questions about getting a start on a project management career are available to the wider public for downloading in a podcast from the Career Central section of the PMI website. Specific questions targeted Scott’s industry-acclaimed perspective on developing experience, showing a desire within a company structure for project opportunities, learning the jargon for other project-centric work, and other careers tips about cover letters and accounting for gaps in your career.
The entirety of the interview is available through this PMI Career Central web page.
Scott Amongst Judges for IPMA Young Crew Finalists
Sep 28th
Arras People’s Lindsay Scott was among five esteemed judges for the finalists for the 2010 International Project Management Association (IPMA) Young Project Manager Award.
The award, charting the achievements of project managers between the ages of 25 and 35 from 20 member countries, will be given at the Young Crew Workshop Gala Dinner Thursday evening at the Hilton Hotel in Istanbul on the 1-3 November 2010. It endeavours to recognise “rising talent in the project and program management industries by honoring young project managers that have demonstrated invaluable impact to the profession and for the companies for whom they work, and are on the fast track to becoming project leaders and influencers on an international scale.”
“We received the largest number of applications ever for this year’s award.” says Jhaymee S. Wilson, IPMA Young Crew Management Board Member and Coordinator for the 2010 award. “We are inspired by the high caliber of our candidates, and we have no doubts that among these names are some of our next great leaders.”
The finalists for the 2010 award are:
- Anne Hoffman; Siemens Wind Power A/S
- Saad Hegazy of United Expert;
- Shaliesh Nepal of China Engineering Railway Corporation and and Tundi Construction Pvt. Ltd.
“It was a really interesting thing for me to take part in and made me realise, once again, just how different and diverse the world of project management is” said Lindsay. “The final three young project managers are all worthy of the title (don’t they always say that in competitions!) and all three have a great future ahead of them”
The winners will be announced on the 1-3 November 2010 as part of the IPMA World Congress
About Arras People: Arras People are the UK’s leading Project Management Recruitment firm. Being 100% focussed on our field, we meet the demands of clients, both large and small, placing quality project management practitioners in to key roles across all industry sectors in the UK, across Europe and beyond. Learn more about what we offer clients and candidates alike online at www.arraspeople.co.uk.
About IPMA Young Crew: Young Crew is a key component of IPMA’s growth and development of the leaders of tomorrow. It is a global network for young project management professionals and students from 25 to 35 years of age. More information about the 2010 Young Project Manager Award is available at http://www.ipma.ch/crew/Pages/YoungProjectManagerAward.aspx.
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