The Power of Possibility: How the APM Project Management Challenge is Cultivating Scotland’s Next Generation of Project Leaders

It’s easy to underestimate what people are capable of until you hand them a real challenge. Not just a theoretical case study or a classroom simulation, but a real, roll-up-your-sleeves, breathe-through-the-chaos kind of challenge. The APM Project Management Challenge is exactly that. 

Held annually across the UK, the Challenge is a crucible for emerging project professionals, especially those with less than three years of experience. Here in Scotland, it has grown into something bigger than a competition. It has become a beacon, a call to action for what’s possible when young professionals are allowed to lead, collaborate, and deliver something real. 

Project Management as Life Skills 

When I walked into the Scotland Project Management Challenge finals this May, I thought I knew what to expect: a neatly-organized showcase of tidy PowerPoint decks, firm handshakes, and polite applause. What I experienced was nothing short of transformational. 

The keynote speaker that evening was Hannah Bardell, former MP for Livingston and a woman whose journey zigzags across politics, energy, communications, and global diplomacy. She’s been a broadcast journalist, worked under Hillary Clinton at the U.S. Department of State, and survived the chaos of politics for nine years in Westminster. But the common thread, she said, through every sector, every title, every campaign, was project management. 

“There’s not a single job I’ve done where project management hasn’t been at the heart of it,” Hannah shared. “It’s the backbone of progress.” 

She went on to describe how life itself is a series of unfolding, often unpredictable, projects. From crisis communication during a helicopter crash to steering a pharmaceutical company through government upheaval during COVID, her stories weren’t about policy; they were about people, process, and perseverance. 

It was a reminder: project management isn’t just a corporate discipline. It’s how society moves forward. 

The Teams That Showed Us How 

Take Team NextGen from Babcock. None of them had prior project management experience when they started. But they ended up raising significant support for Say Women, a Glasgow-based charity supporting women affected by homelessness and violence. They organized a fundraising walk up Ben Nevis (in less-than-ideal weather), coordinated care package donations, and even built out a social media strategy with help from an external expert. 

One of their team members said it best: 

“With the APM Challenge, you get to see every part of what it takes to carry out a project, not just the little bit you’re assigned.” 

Another team, Project Pioneers from BAE Systems, revitalized a green space at St. Anne’s Primary School in Glasgow. Their initiative didn’t just benefit the 200+ pupils at the school, it also created long-term utility for PEEK, a charity offering outdoor learning opportunities to children in deprived areas during school holidays. 

And then there was the Team Seven Challenge from Subsea 7, who brought structure and inclusion into a farm shop operated by Camp Hill School, a charity supporting young people with additional support needs. Seeing that they had their regular day job, one of the challenges they encountered while on the project was that half the team worked offshore. (What you call resource constraints in a typical project). Communication was fragmented. Schedules clashed. But they delivered, adapting their project scope to improve real-world inclusion and integration. 

Every team had its share of spanners in the works: sudden stakeholder changes, conflicting schedules, snow on mountains, and more. But that’s the point. The APM Challenge doesn’t protect participants from reality; it throws them into it, armed with only curiosity, a framework, and each other. 

The Babcock team won the best project, and they took a picture with the keynote speaker and the Scotland APM Challenge coordinator.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Woman Behind the Curtain 

Nicola Thomson started supporting APM Scotland’s Project Management Challenge in 2019. By 2021, she was leading it, sometimes single-handedly. When there weren’t enough volunteers, she wore multiple hats: co-ordinator, judge, mentor, event planner, spreadsheet wrangler, and ultimately the co-ordinator who holds the reins behind the scenes. She was also the awards night compere.  

She did all this while managing a demanding day job and leading a significant internal project for her company since October 2024. 

“It’s hugely rewarding to see teams progress,” Nicola said. “Many participants don’t get the chance to take a project through all its stages in their normal roles. The Challenge gives them that full lifecycle.” 

Nicola’s impact has stretched beyond Scotland. Her documents and templates are now used to guide the national APM Challenge, and her mentorship has supported other regions preparing to launch their own competitions. Despite juggling a demanding full-time role, Nicola’s commitment hasn’t wavered. If anything, it has intensified. 

Because for Nicola, this isn’t just about grooming project managers. It’s about shaping Scotland’s future. 

What Makes This Different? 

Let’s be honest, young professionals are often siloed. In big organizations, they’re handed small tasks in even smaller departments, rarely seeing the full view of what success looks like. The APM Challenge rips those walls down. 

Participants form their teams. They create real projects from scratch. They meet actual stakeholder needs. They learn how to deal with uncertainty, ambiguity, and the greatest resource constraint of all: time. 

And the competition doesn’t end with the delivery. The finale is an evening of high-stakes presentations, judged across 22 criteria, from community impact to clarity of scope. One judge even remarked, “I’ve been in academia for 20 years, I’ve never given out 88% on a project, but these teams earned it.” 

The winners aren’t just the ones who finish. They’re the ones who stretch, who struggle, who adapt and still deliver. 

What I Took Away – A Personal Reflection 

As I sat in that room, absorbing the wisdom of mentors, the courage of new professionals, and the sheer grit in the stories shared, I couldn’t help but reflect. 

I’ve led teams. I’ve built businesses. I’ve spoken at events and mentored others. But that evening, I became a student again. I learned how powerful structured learning experiences can be in nurturing not just competence, but confidence. 

From Sophie Hall, who started the challenge with zero project management experience, to the team that juggled offshore rotations and still delivered a meaningful intervention, it was clear: talent doesn’t wait. It just needs the right environment. 

The Ripple Effect 

The Future Is in Good Hands 

From Nicola Thomson’s tireless behind-the-scenes work, to mentors and judges alike, including  Brian Hunter-Young, Shirley Conway, Amos Hannif, Muhammad Reza, Jacqueline Clarke, Paul Gavin, Kirsty L, and Catherine Williamson Hall, to the emerging professionals who gave months of their time to make something that matters, the APM Challenge has gone beyond creating project managers to raising changemakers. 

In Scotland, we often talk about innovation, economic growth, and community development. But these things don’t appear out of thin air. They are projected into existence, planned, scoped, resourced, risk-mitigated, and delivered. 

And that’s the magic of the APM Project Management Challenge. It shows what’s possible and proves that it is. 

So if you’re an aspiring project professional, a mentor, a team leader, or someone who just wants to do more that matters, here’s my challenge to you: 

Say yes. Build something. Learn by the fire. You never know who you’ll become on the other side. 

So, What Now? 

If you’re reading this and you’re new to project management, let me tell you: jump in. Apply. Take the leap. This is your chance to work on something real, with real consequences, and real growth. 

And if you're an experienced professional? Mentor. Sponsor a team. Help judge. Help shape the future of your profession by showing up for the ones just starting. 

Because we don’t need more people who can talk about managing projects. We need more people who can live them. 

Edward Enejoh is a project leader and the Co-Lead, Education HEI Focus Stream, as a volunteer with the Association for Project Management Scotland Network. He is passionate about using project frameworks to drive innovation, impact, and inclusive growth. Edward is currently undertaking a Doctorate in Business Administration, with a research focus on the role of AI and project management in shaping the future of work. 

By Edward Enejoh