Are you looking to advance your career into project management but aren’t really sure what it entails?
The skillME Project Management Fundamentals course is ideal for individuals who want to learn the basics of project management and improve their leadership abilities.
In this article, we’ll examine why project management is an in-demand skill today, seven reasons you should consider building these skills, and different short courses you could consider to improve your employability.
Why are project management skills in demand in today’s market?
Investopedia defines project management (PM) as “the planning and organising of a company’s resources to move a specific task, event, or duty toward completion.” It explicitly mentions managing company resources, including materials, finances, and human resources.
As such, the project manager’s job is to plan, execute, and monitor projects and ensure these resources are used effectively (and without waste) to complete tasks on time and within specified budgets.
This includes both one-time projects and ongoing activities.
As you can imagine, all of this is extremely important to companies. Otherwise, chaos would reign, and businesses would miss deadlines, overspend, and lose clients.
Ultimately, project managers need to be able to:
- Plan projects strategically
- Organise resources
- Manage progress and quality
- Evaluate results and improve for future projects
What is the state of PM today?
In today’s fast-paced business environment, project managers must be adaptable, solve problems, and complete projects faster.
This is where automation plays a big (and increasingly necessary) role. Managers can automate and mechanise time-consuming processes with AI, leading to faster and more accurate outputs.
Plus, with digital transformations, it’s also essential that project managers understand security risks and are up to date with the latest tools and strategies for effective project systems.
This is where real-time data and analytics through cloud systems become invaluable. They enable project managers to make better decisions and promote transparency for everyone involved, including employees, managers, and clients.
7 Reasons to study Project Management Fundamentals
Now that you know more about what project planning and management are and why they’re crucial in today’s work environment, let’s look at why you should consider building these skills.
1. Boost your career prospects
PM skills are in high demand across many industries, including business, healthcare, construction etc. This makes these management skills invaluable and allows you to pursue many different careers.
2. Improve time and resource management
Suppose your job requires you to manage projects (formally or informally). In that case, these management skills can help you understand how to allocate resources and manage your time better to keep projects on track.
3. Develop leadership and teamwork skills
You’ll gain the ability to lead teams, resolve conflicts, and take projects from beginning to end. This is especially beneficial if you’re working towards a managerial role in your organisation and want to show your employers that you’re committed to learning the necessary skills.
4. Increase earning potential
Having these additional skills on your resume can help increase your earning potential. Project Managers are among the highest-paid professionals, with the average project manager in South Africa earning around R400,000 per year in 2025. Plus, there are many career advancement opportunities in this field.
5. Adapt to any industry
One of the best advantages of studying project planning and management skills is that they can be used in many different job roles, opening the door to more career opportunities.
The transferable skills you’ll learn during your studies, including team management, project coordination, and planning, can be used across different industries, from IT to marketing and supply chain.
6. Master risk management
A huge part of project planning and management is the ability to predict and prevent risks. This requires extensive research to discover trends, possible shifts, and more. PM courses will teach you these skills.
7. Gain a competitive edge
A PM certification can set you apart in the job market and make you stand out from other candidates.
Employers are looking for workers who have team management and leadership abilities. So, even if you aren’t working on projects specifically, this certification can help you land the job.
The importance of foundational project management courses
As seen above, pursuing short project planning and management courses to help sharpen your leadership and management skills offers many benefits.
You can consider a course like the skillME Project Management Fundamentals programme, which equips you with key leadership and management abilities to run processes and projects effectively.
This will improve your employability and show employers your willingness to learn and improve your skills. And the best part is that you can complete this course in two days (even while working).
You can also consider pursuing an Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Course, which will show you how to implement AI into projects to improve automation and save time.
As consumers are becoming more demanding due to the instant gratification that digital systems provide, it’s increasingly essential for businesses to implement AI into processes. As a result, this course, combined with a project course, can truly set you apart.
Study a project management programme with skillME
Pursuing short courses is the answer if you’re looking for a way to gain the upper hand in your career and stand out among other candidates.
You can look at the many short business and IT courses that skillME offers, including PM Fundamentals, Supply Chain Logistics, Design Thinking, and Artificial Intelligence programmes.
