How to Become a Project Manager in Australia with Salary Guide
Are you good at planning and management, and you want to become a project manager in Australia?
The good thing about this career is that you can explore different ways to get into project management. While a qualification in Project Manager will be ideal to get into the field, a lot of times your experience in managing various projects can help in the career too.
In this blog post, we will discuss everything about how to become a Project Manager in Australia.
Overview of Project Management in Australia
Project Managers are responsible for the management and supervision of projects of various levels and scales. They bring together a team of specialists who can deliver and carry out project plans on quality standards and budget.
Project mangers are usually the centerpiece of any project. They are expected to understand and apply various methodologies, techniques and modelling systems while working in the field.
Size of the industry
The size of project management industry is complicated to determine considering the project managers work in many industries.
But here is a quick overview of the some of the most popular industries and the currently employed project managers in that field:
- Construction – 42,100
- ICT – 37800
- Project Builders – 45,800
- Contract, Program and Project Administrators – 129,100
There are many other industries where project managers work but these are typically some of the most popular industries and fields.
Popular Locations
Major capital cities in each state and territory in Australia usually employ a large number of project managers.
New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland being the largest states (population sizes) are typically have a large share of employment for Project Manager
This is why it is necessary to consider a potential career path when selecting a city to study. Click here to find out how to choose a city to study in Australia.
Industries where Project Managers are needed
Project Management is such a vast field ranging from one industry to the other. Project managers work in some of the following industries:
- Construction and Building Industry
- Information Technology
- Manufacturing
- Mining
- Professional and Technical Services industries.
- Other industries.
Hours of work
The average work hours for the project managers vary by the industry they work in.
After looking at various sectors like Construction, ICT and other project management areas, it is quite fair to say that more than 80% of the Project Managers work full-time hours.
Age
After analysing all the possible industries, the average age of a Project Manager is 42 years, which is higher than the average of all jobs average of 40 years.
Gender
The proportion of genders working as a Project Manager also varies by the industry.
For example in the Construction industry, only 11% of the workforce accounts for females, while ICT account for 24% as a female share in the jobs. Other Contract, Program and Project Administrators account for 55% of the female workforce.
What are some skills needed to become a Project Manager in Australia?
Some skills required to become a Project Manager include:
- Management of materials.
- Management of financial resources.
- Judgement and decision-making.
- Negotiation
- Planning
- System analysis
- Complex problem-solving
- Operation analysis
- Mathematics
- Critical thinking.
- Cooperation with others.
What are the tasks and duties performed by a Project Manager?
Some tasks and duties performed by a Project Manager include:
- Define the broad scope of the project.
- Managing the project at every step.
- Organise regular team and stakeholder communication.
- Encourage, guide, and manage the project team.
- Set project job priorities.
- Throughout a project’s life cycle, track and coordinate various projects.
- With internal and external stakeholders, manage the project and establish expectations.
- Control budgets and bills.
- Get feedback from the public.
- Ensure client satisfaction.
- Ensure daily timesheets are correct and keep track of work hours.
- To monitor project progress, create a thorough project management plan.
- Analyse your team’s performance.
- Managing projects using KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).
- Ensure that all team members receive the pertinent information.
- Create a professional business network.
- Organise project status meetings, retrospectives, and daily stand-ups.
- Work together with other departments to make sure the work is completed correctly and satisfies all requirements.
- Create and maintain the project documentation.
- Make recommendations for the project’s enhancements.
- Make certain that project tasks are thoroughly reviewed and carried out within the specified scope.
- Make precise projections of the needed resources and income.
- Hold workshops and training sessions.
- Regularly monitor the project’s risks, development, and opportunities.
- Inform the management of your concerns as needed and escalate them.
- Use the proper tools, systems, and methods to gauge project performance.
- Act as the project’s main point of contact with the client.
How much does a Project Manager earn in Australia?
The earnings of a Project Manager depend on their qualifications, specialisation and experiences.
As per Seek, average poay for a Project Manager in Australia is $135,000 per year. It can be translated as $2,596 per week, which is higher than the average weekly pay of $1,593 per week.
The average hourly pay for project managers range from $80 to $100 per hours, which is more than all job’s hourly pay of $41.
Essential Steps: How to become a Project Manager in Australia
To become a project manager in Australia, you will be expected to have a qualification in project management. But having a substantial experience in the project management field with minimum qualifications in project management field can be
Before you decide to get into this field, it is important that you do your research about this profession to see if it is a right fit for you. So, we suggest taking a short course or speak to an experienced project managers to get an idea about the Project Management industry.
Here is a step-by-step guide to becoming a Project Manager in Australia:
Step 1: Get started with vocational courses
To kick-start your career in the project management area, it might be useful to undertake some vocational courses to begin with.
They can give you a basic foundation about project management fundamentals and help you in preparing to work as a part of project team.
The popular vocational courses for project management includes:
- Certificate IV in Project Management Practice
- Diploma of Project Management
Certificate IV in Project Management Practice is a 40 to 44 week course. It can cost from $6000 to $12000 depending on the type of institution.
The Diploma of Project Management is typically a 52 week full time study course. It can cost $7000 to $15000 for the entire course duration.
Step 2: Get a graduate degree in the course or related field
After being familiar with project management fundamentals, you may concentrate on obtaining a higher education, such as a Bachelor’s and Master of Project Management, or a related course like Business Administration (MBA) with specialisation in Project Management.
You’ll be able to learn more about the topic thoroughly and with an advanced understanding of the project management skills, techniques etc. Gaining a degree can also help you advance in your career.
Bachelor degree usually range from 3 to 4 years of full time study while Masters in Project Management is typically 1.5 to 2 years of full time study.
The average cost of pursuing a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Project Management or a related field ranges from AUD 47,000 to 96,000 for the entire course.
Step 3: Acquire additional certifications
As a project manager, you should constantly keep your management abilities current.
Obtaining additional project management qualifications, such as the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, which increases your competency, is a useful career strategy.
You need to have a minimum of 4 year degree in project management and substantial experience in managing projects before you can get a PMP certification.
Getting a PMP certification usually involves an exam. You can read more about it here.
Step 4: Registration for national accreditation
It is important for project managers to get a national accreditation at AIPM (Australian Institute of Project Management). It provides access to various networking opportunities, resources and professional development for project managers.
An annual fee of $460 (Incl GST) is required to register with this association.
What are some popular universities to study Project Management?
Here are some popular institutions to study project management courses in Australia:
- Greenwich College
- Insight Academy
- Lonsdale Institute
- University of Sydney
- University of Melbourne
- James Cook University
- Deakin University
- South Australia University
Future growth of Project Management in Australia
Deciding to pursue a Project Management career is a great decision since this career is expected to have a high projected growth. It is estimated to be growing by 9.2% till 2026.
Project Management requires the ability of the professional to make decisions based on critical thinking and operating analysis to carry out project plans to meet expected quality standards.
Pursuing this career path will require intense focus and precision to find the best strategies and innovations that will add professionalism to your career path. This is why passion and steadfastness are indispensable in this profession.
And that’s everything you need to know about becoming a Project Manager in Australia. Let us know what career you want us to cover next in the comment section below.
