Under the present economic conditions and without work experience in project management, the graduates of project management programmes face the difficult task of identifying and accessing entry positions that might provide opportunities for career in the area of their studies. Such job openings are scarce and, when appear, the existing employees are usually preferred, internally selected and appointed, as a way to reward their loyalty and to provide them non-monetary incentives. Another challenge, if the entry position is advertised for external candidates, besides the constant request for “previous experience”, is the demand for specialized industry knowledge, usually in software development, but also in different fields of engineering, telecommunications or video production, depending on the profile of the company and their projects. Not very appealing job prospects for somebody with undergraduate studies in humanities or social sciences and who just graduated a master programme in project management.

But if industry has a shrinking offer on entry jobs in project management, there is one area that is expanding and is in demand of well trained personnel in project management available for junior positions. The projects financed with non-reimbursable funds, mainly from European Union, will increase in 2014 and 2015 their personnel. New jobs will be created and entry positions will be available, but for specific tasks; the graduates of project management programmes who will acquire such competences and, if possible, limited practice with traineeships, for the tasks that are required will obtain the jobs and could start their career in project management.

There is indeed a skills gap for the projects funded with non-reimbursable funding and this gap refers to public procurement, both for public and private organizations. Procurement is one of the nine knowledge areas addressed in PMBOK under the name of “project procurement management” with its four processes plan procurement management, conduct, control and close procurements. Public procurement is a critical area in projects funded with non-reimbursable funding: the mistakes are costly and, most of the time, are identified too late and incur devastating costs for the projects and the organization. Interestingly, it is not an overly complicated legislation – the rules are set in the Government Ordinance 34/2006 which has been updated, and the entire procedure is easy to learn even for somebody without a technical or legal background. But since usually several concurring procedures are initiated in the same time, there is a high volume of work under the pressure of deadlines, augmented by the need to pay attention to details.

Such positions – procurement officer or assistant procurement officer, within project teams assigned to projects funded with non-reimbursable funding are ideal for a fresh graduate of a project management programme who seeks career opportunities. The labor market demands such candidates and the project management programme offers the candidates. The missing catalyst is the initiative from the graduates who have to polish their competences, also through self-learning, during the programme and to actively seek practice opportunities in the field of public procurement with traineeships, short term or part-time employment.

Article by Radu PETRE