Introduction

Work-based learning (WBL) is a strategy of education which offers students real-life work experience where they can apply technical and academic skills and develop their chances of employability in their favourite industry. WBL provides various programs like internship and business field trip which helps a student to develop their knowledge about a particular job role or area (Guo et al., 2020).

This report consists of effective application documentation for a business management position which is the project manager and an evaluation of the academic, professional and personal skills which is important for the job role and reflection on the career options available as a business and management student.

Project Manager

A project manager is a professional who is responsible for the organisation of plans and execution of projects while controlling budgets and schedules. Project managers control the entire team, identify the goals of the project, maintain a healthy relationship with the stakeholders and monitor the project till its completion (Alvarenga et al., 2019). The project manager is fully responsible for the success or failure of the project whether is a marketing campaign or the development of a computer system. The demand for the project manager is high in every industry because an effective and efficient project manager can help an organisation to effective and relevant in the market (Gharouni Jafari and Noorzai, 2021).

Skills Relevance to WBL placement

Academic Skills

Time management: Time is an important factor in the management of a project because most projects are usually time-sensitive and needed to be completed before the deadline. An effective project manager should know how to manage time in order to ensure that the project is accomplished before the deadline throughout its life cycle.

Note-taking: This is a very important skill for a project manager because in various situations a project manager has to write down some crucial things which might be very important for the completion of the project or for making any compulsory changes in the project. The project manager has to carry a small diary or a notepad to note down vital information.

Research skills: Research skills help a project manager to determine various factors like any other method to complete the project with more effectiveness and efficiency. Research skills also help to identify various markets or shops from where the resources for the completion of the project can be acquired for less money.

Personal skills

Leadership: The project manager is a profession in which an individual has to manage every aspect and resource of the project money, team members etc. A project can only be completed effectively only if the manager knows how to manage human resources appropriately which requires an effective style of leadership (Henkel et al., 2019).

Communication: A project manager has to be an effective communicator because it will increase the productivity of the team members. When the task is communicated to the team member and when there is an effective flow of information in the team it will automatically provide the desired outcomes for the project (Magano et al., 2020).

Teamwork: The most important skill for the project manager is teamwork. The project manager should encourage teamwork among the members and should help the members to achieve their tasks and help the other members of the team which is very crucial in the completion of the project (Magano et al., 2020).

Professional skills

Cost management: cost control is one of the most analytical responsibilities of the project manager. It includes making and reviewing viable budgets, managing expenses and negotiating the cost of the projects. Employers hire that candidate who has experience in collecting and distributing resources, identifying high-cost and making changes to make sure that the project is completed within budget (Gharouni Jafari and Noorzai, 2021).

Data Analysis: Another important skill for project management is the analysis of data. The project manager should know how to analyse financial information such as expenses and budgets. With the help of data analysis skills, the manager can monitor the performance of the project to ensure that the employees are on the right path (Alvarenga et al., 2019).

Software knowledge: To increase the productivity of the team and smoothness in the workflow a project manager should have knowledge of certain computer software like Microsoft Office such as Excel, word, PowerPoint etc. Knowledge of the software helps the project manager to manage the project more conveniently (Mohamed et al., 2019).

Development of new skills

Many more skills are needed to be developed in order to be an effective project manager which will ensure that the project is completed on time and within the budget,

Adaptability: Adaptability is the eagerness to adapt and change according to the surrounding. A project manager must be enthusiastic to fill the gap in knowledge, learn about the latest technologies in the field and should know about the upcoming trend in the industry. The project manager who is adaptable always knows the appropriate way to complete the project (Grass et al., 2020).

Quality management: Mastery in quality management helps the projected anger to enhance the quality of the work. It is the skill to manage and monitor the activities of the project before the delivery of the final product and check if the project is according to the quality requirement of the client and if the desirable excellence is maintained (de Oliveira and Rabechini Jr, 2019).

Negotiation:The trait to negotiate the terms with the client, suppliers and stakeholders is a crucial project management skill that organisations seek in the candidate. The ability to negotiate is beneficial not only for the project manager but also for the company because it helps to save the resources like money (Alvarenga et al., 2019).

Enhancement of existing skills

Communication skills: With the help of WBL communication skills will be enhance and the ability to communicate effectively will increase. WBL provide will opportunities which will enhance the conveying power and active listening skills. There are various programs organised by the WBL community which explain the methods of communication (Guo et al., 2020).

Leadership:There is certain programs in the WBL which will provide strategies for effective leadership which is very important for the project manager. WBL programs have various business and industry field trips which critically explain the aspects of an organisation which also include leadership and how leadership skills can be improved (Henkel et al., 2019).

Data Analysis: WBL programs like entrepreneurial experience offers the students insights into the planning, organizing and managing resources of the business. This program can help to enhance the skills of data analysis and various other aspects like how to manage money and where money could be invested (Guo et al., 2020).

Software Knowledge: WBL programs also include internships or mentorship in which the student gets an opportunity to work under an experienced employee of the chosen organisation. The student gets an opportunity to learn about the business environment and learn certain skills which also include computer softer skills (Willis, 2021).

Reflection

With the increase of start-ups business and management skills are getting in demand and this is why I have chosen this career option I was very eager I understand what factors influence the success of the business and why many start-ups and even well-established companies fail at a certain point in time. I have many friends and family members who are engaged in business management activities and there are earning well although sometimes they get too busy with business activities or deadlines of the project (Longva et al., 2020). Overall the business management career is very exciting and deep in nature. As a student of business and management, I have various options available in this industry and various units like finance, marketing, R&D department etc. There are various job roles available for me as a student of business and management (Maloni et al., 2019). Although I have an interest in project management there are also various certain choices available which I can explore for my future career as a sales representative in which I will be responsible for the development and implementation of the customer service process and training of the staff in order to follow guidelines or sales representative in which I will get to connect with customers both new and existing and get to discuss the product and services which is very exciting job role for a who like to explore human nature like myself although my communication skills are that good but I like to explore human nature or maybe human resource manager in which I will be responsible for hiring, training and development of employee for the organisation or I can become staff accountant who is responsible for the maintain the financial report for the company which help me to understand the aspect of money and how it can invest do our money can provide us with a good passive income. With the help of the WBL internship, I will get the chance to explore the businesses and their activities which is very essential for my future career and it will provide me with an opportunity to explore more business aspects which I can start studying and apply in my future career (Longva et al., 2020).

Gaps in personal skills

There are various skills required in order to become a successful project manager and I do have various skills like software knowledge and teamwork or cost management but still, there are certain gaps in my other skills which I need to address and prepare a plan to improve them like my communication skills are not that appropriate although I am a good listener I still need to figure out how to convey the information effectively so the person to whom I am conveying the message is clear about the information and I am also a good team player but in terms of leadership I am not that good and feel hesitated to provide guidance and to control a team but I can effectively assign the task to members but sometimes feel afraid or shy to explain how things can be done more effectively.

Smart Plan to improve skills

Specific:The goal is to improve communication and leadership skills for a future career in project management and to be able to start the conversation and to convey the message appropriately to the person.

Measurable: The target will be achieved when I will be able to communicate without any hesitation and able to point out how team members can achieve the target more appropriately. I will be able to communicate with a random person and initiate a conversation.

Achievable: The goal is achievable but it is neither too easy nor too difficult it can be achieved by a certain amount of practice and applying the practical theories in my daily life.

Relevant: The goals are relevant to my career option in fact it is very necessary for my career option which is project manager. In order to become a successful project manager I have to be effective in communication and leadership skills which will help me to manage my team members.

Time-bound: Improve my communication skills in two to three months and be able to start conversations effectively and enhance my leadership skills in five to six months.

Conclusion

To be concluded project manager is a profession in which the individual is responsible for the organisation and management plan and completion of the project. There are certain skills required in order to become a successful and effective project manager in academic skills time-management, note-taking and research skills are very important and help a project manager to increase the effectiveness of the team. Personal skills in communication, leadership and teamwork help a project manager to provide guidance and support to the team members and professional skills in data analysis, software knowledge and cost management helps the project manager to enhance the working capability of the team and of itself.

References

Alvarenga, J.C., Branco, R.R., Guedes, A.L.A., Soares, C.A.P. and e Silva, W.D.S., 2019. The project manager core competencies to project success. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business.
de Oliveira, G.F. and Rabechini Jr, R., 2019. Stakeholder management influence on trust in a project: A quantitative study. International journal of project management, 37(1), pp.131-144.
Gharouni Jafari, K. and Noorzai, E., 2021. Selecting the most appropriate project manager to improve the performance of the occupational groups in road construction projects in warm regions. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 147(10), p.04021131.
Grass, A., Backmann, J. and Hoegl, M., 2020. From empowerment dynamics to team adaptability: Exploring and conceptualizing the continuous agile team innovation process. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 37(4), pp.324-351.
Guo, P., Saab, N., Post, L.S. and Admiraal, W., 2020. A review of project-based learning in higher education: Student outcomes and measures. International journal of educational research, 102, p.101586.
Henkel, T.G., Marion Jr, J.W. and Bourdeau, D.T., 2019. Project manager leadership behavior: Task-oriented versus relationship-oriented. Journal of Leadership Education, 18(2), p.1.
Longva, K.K., Strand, Ø. and Pasquine, M., 2020. Entrepreneurship education as an arena for career reflection: the shift of students' career preferences after a business planning course. Education+ Training, 62(7/8), pp.877-896.
Magano, J., Silva, C., Figueiredo, C., Vitória, A., Nogueira, T. and Pimenta Dinis, M.A., 2020. Generation Z: Fitting project management soft skills competencies—A mixed-method approach. Education sciences, 10(7), p.187.
Majid, S., Eapen, C.M., Aung, E.M. and Oo, K.T., 2019. The Importance of Soft Skills for Employability and Career Development: Students and Employers' Perspectives. IUP Journal of Soft Skills, 13(4).
Maloni, M., Hiatt, M.S. and Campbell, S., 2019. Understanding the work values of Gen Z business students. The International Journal of Management Education, 17(3), p.100320.
Mohamed, T.M.A., Capretz, L.F. and Ho, D., 2019. Automatic Recall of Software Lessons Learned for Software Project Managers. Information and Software Technology, 115, p.44.
Willis, J., 2021. A framework for task-based learning. Intrinsic Books Ltd.

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT