A Foot in the Door: Helping Emerging Professionals Enter Corporate Project Management

A Foot in the Door, held on 4 November 2025,  was a dedicated event designed to help students, graduates, and career changers take their first steps into the world of project management. If you’re exploring project management for the first time or seeking a structured route into corporate PM roles, this event offered practical guidance, insider insights, and access to opportunities that can make a real difference.

You heared from experienced professionals, discover pathways into the profession, and learned how to strengthen your employability through qualifications, membership, and networking. Alongside advice, you gained access to tangible resources such as CV templates, career guides, and APM membership discounts.

By connecting aspiring project managers with employers, mentors, and educators, A Foot in the Door aimed to support individual growth but also contribute to building a diverse pipeline of future project professionals who are aligned with APM’s values and professional standards.

 A Foot in the Door was a unique opportunity for anyone eager to begin or pivot into a career in project management. The event provideed an engaging mix of practical workshops, expert talks, and networking designed to bridge the gap between aspiration and employment. Attendees gained actionable advice on navigating the project management profession, from understanding career pathways and qualifications to securing corporate opportunities.

Benefits of attending include:

• Clearer understanding of the different entry routes into project management careers
• Practical tools such as tailored CV templates and career planning guides
• Access to APM membership discounts and resources to support ongoing development
• Opportunities to connect with corporate employers, experienced professionals, and mentors

Who should attend:

• University students and recent graduates exploring career options
• Career changers looking to move into project management
• Early-career professionals seeking corporate PM roles
• Underrepresented or disadvantaged groups who would benefit from tailored support
• Educators and career services partners who guide the next generation of professionals

By the end of the event, participants should have left better equipped to pursue project management opportunities, with practical resources in hand and stronger connections to APM, employers, and educators.

The speakers have very kindly allowed their presented material to be made available for viewing.
The slides on Slideshare are now available in our APM resources area and also embedded below for reference.

Michael Jackson - Team Coach/Delivery Lead - NatWest Group

Michael is a Human-Centred Project Management Professional (PMP) with over a decade’s experience of successfully delivering varying range of people and technology solutions to customers and colleagues across various sectors. 

Michael is an effective communicator, efficient facilitator and a skilful collaborator. Michael is passionate about mentoring and personal development where he empowers people to build a growth mindset. Michael has supported scores of people to get a foot in the door into the world of project management. 

He is also passionate about helping teams to deliver value and adapt to change. Michael focuses on the humans behind the project management processes, tools and techniques, which makes him stand out from his peers. Michael is currently winning with customers in NatWest Group with the Tokenisation (Apple Pay & Google Pay) and Cards teams and enjoys what he does daily.

Obinna Vincent Okonkwo - Digital Project Manager - ENABLE Scotland

Obinna Vincent holds an MBA in Strategic Project Management from Edinburgh Napier University. 

He is a seasoned Project Manager with over a decade of experience delivering complex projects across diverse industries, including the Oil & Gas, Real Estate, Technology, HVAC, Hospitality, Logistics and Supply Chain. 

As a Digital Project Manager with a cutting-edge digital innovation team at ENABLE SCOTLAND, he specializes in technology integration, driving impactful solutions that streamline processes and value creation using Big data, AI and automation.

He also serves as the COO of Vesicomm Technologies, an EdTech start-up leveraging AI to track students’ progress, optimize performance, and bridge the industry skill gaps from enrolment to employment.

Obinna is an IGI Global–published author on “Navigating Success: Unveiling the Power of Transferable Skills in Project Management and the Future Workplace”. He combines deep industry expertise with a passion for innovation, continuous learning, and the future of work.

Edward Enejoh - Project Manager/Business Analyst - University of Edinburgh

Edward is a Project Manager and Business Analyst with the University of Edinburgh’s Information Services Group, where he helps deliver digital projects that improve learning, teaching, and research.

With over a decade of experience, Edward combines strategy, leadership, and innovation to support organisations in achieving meaningful outcomes. Beyond his role at the university, he is passionate about helping professionals upskill to become project managers who can deliver projects that truly make a difference.

He serves as Co-Lead of the Education Outreach Group for the APM Scotland Regional Network and writes Future PM, a newsletter that inspires and supports the next generation of project professionals.

Edward is currently a Doctorate candidate researching how AI can support better project delivery. His mission is simple: to shape the future of work; one project, one career, and one conversation at a time.