There are interesting trends among those undertaking the PRINCE2 certification and their motivations for doing so. And could exploring these avenues help us focus our energies on broadening the approach and reach of PRINCE2, making it more accessible in the future?
All figures used are from the 2016 AXELOS PRINCE2 study. This study consisted of 2,434 respondents, 38% were from the UK (62% from the rest of the world (RoW)). Currently, the average age at which someone achieves PRINCE2 certification is between 35-42 years old. This is in line with the UK respondents who stated that they achieved their PRINCE2 certification within 10 years of experience. Unlike RoW where it was noted that the period was longer than 10 years of experience. This may be due to the fact that the foundation of PRINCE2 is firmly rooted in the UK, making it a widely known and encouraged program, making it more widely used.
We can shift our attention to the surveyed respondents who had not sat PRINCE2. The most enlightening question asked to the respondents was “Why don’t you have PRINCE2?”. Encouragingly, the most common response was that they intended to obtain certification in the future. This was the most popular answer by a wide margin; with the second most common response that PRINCE2 was not required as part of the job. The fourth response stated that their organizations did not pay for the certification or that the price was too high. We know from the survey that 51% of all certifications worldwide are funded by organizations; making it an understandable reason why PRINCE2 certification had not been carried out. Favorably, less than 4% of candidates said they saw no value in PRINCE2.
The respondents, who were PRINCE2 certified, were asked what their initial motivations were to start their training and exams. The main response for UK candidates has been to improve their career development, followed closely by further developing their skills. These two motivations were also the two main reasons among RoW PRINCE2 candidates. Another popular response has been that PRINCE2 helps change careers. These three linked reasons reinforce the common belief that PRINCE2 is highly beneficial for career development. Another reason was that it was a requirement as part of the position.
This brings us to our final point. Who starts taking the program and does that affect the number of candidates included in PRINCE2? UK, Canadian and Australian results were fairly similar: more than half of the respondents said the decision to take the training came from their line managers or from HR. However, respondents from Germany, who we know that PRINCE2 is very popular, said the decision was made by themselves. In addition, India’s most populous response said the decision was a mandatory corporate policy.
Overall, many factors contribute to the reasoning behind PRINCE2 training, from cost, accessibility, availability, knowledge of the course benefits to primary motivations. These factors all need to be carefully considered when you want to expand PRINCE2 to a larger audience. Finally, the answer to “Was PRINCE2 valuable to your career?”, From every country in the report, was clearly the same. They all replied with a resounding “Yes”.
