Training ByteSize Project Management | Insights, Interviews & Expertise

The UK needs an estimated 1.8 million more skilled workers by 2035. At the same time, more than a quarter of current vacancies are proving difficult to fill due to skills shortages.

In this episode, we explore the findings of the newly published Skills England Annual Skills Report 2026 and what they mean for project managers, aspiring professionals, and organisations across the UK.

Our analysis reveals why project planning has been identified as one of the most in-demand skills across multiple sectors, including construction, infrastructure, digital technology, healthcare and professional services.

We discuss:

• The UK's growing skills gap and workforce challenges
• Why project planning and delivery skills are in such high demand
• The sectors expected to create the most opportunities over the next decade
• The importance of Level 4 qualifications such as APM PMQ, PRINCE2 Practitioner and AgilePM Practitioner
• The "missing middle" skills gap highlighted by Skills England
• What these findings mean for career development and professional growth

Whether you're already managing projects or considering a project management qualification, this episode provides valuable insight into where the UK jobs market is heading and why project management skills are becoming increasingly important.

Source: Skills England Annual Skills Report 2026

Learn more about project management training and qualifications at Training ByteSize.

🎯 Related course: guide: how to become a project manager

About Training ByteSize: We are a family-run project management training company dedicated to helping individuals and organisations achieve their full potential. With over 25 years of experience, we provide world-class, accredited training across the most globally recognised frameworks.

Take Your Career Further:

• 📚 Explore Our Courses: Browse all our accredited courses
• 💡 Free Resources: Read our latest blogs and guides
• 🎓Corporate Solutions: Enquire about training for your team

Connect With Our Community:

• LinkedIn: Follow us for industry news & insights
• YouTube: Watch our expert tutorials and student stories
• Facebook: @trainingbytesize

Enjoying the Podcast? If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your feedback helps us continue to provide high-quality content for the project management community.

In 2026, the question is no longer if AI will impact project management, but how we govern it. As AI shifts from a novelty to the "engine room" of project delivery, the role of the Project Manager is undergoing its biggest transformation in decades.

In this episode, we dive into the core themes of our latest guide, exploring how AI is effectively replacing the "project administrator" and why this creates a critical need for high-level governance. We break down the rise of 'Shadow AI', the unauthorized use of AI tools that threatens data privacy and GDPR compliance and explain why human accountability remains the most important asset in any project lifecycle.

What we cover in this briefing:

• The Administrative Shift: How AI is lifting the heavy lifting of reporting and scheduling, allowing PMs to focus on strategic leadership.
• The Shadow AI Risk: Why "under the radar" AI use is a fast track to project failure and security breaches.
• Framework Integration: How AI intersects with existing methodologies like PRINCE2®, APM, and Agile.
• The Solution: An introduction to the APMG AI Project Governance Framework (AIPGF), the industry standard for secure, ethical, and effective AI deployment.

Take the Next Step: Ready to lead the AI transition in your organisation? Safeguard your projects and future-proof your credentials with the APMG AI Project Governance Framework (AIPGF) Certification 2026.

👉 View the Course and Get Certified Here

Read the full Guide: Check out the deep-dive blog post mentioned in this episode: 🔗 The Ultimate Guide to AI in Project Management (2026)

About Training ByteSize: We are a family-run project management training company dedicated to helping individuals and organisations achieve their full potential. With over 25 years of experience, we provide world-class, accredited training across the most globally recognised frameworks.

Take Your Career Further:

• 📚 Explore Our Courses: Browse all our accredited courses
• 💡 Free Resources: Read our latest blogs and guides
• 🎓Corporate Solutions: Enquire about training for your team

Connect With Our Community:

• LinkedIn: Follow us for industry news & insights
• YouTube: Watch our expert tutorials and student stories
• Facebook: @trainingbytesize

Enjoying the Podcast? If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your feedback helps us continue to provide high-quality content for the project management community.

When major change hits, training isn't just about showing people the new system—it's about building new capabilities. This advanced Microlesson introduces the essential tool for any serious Change Management Practitioner: the KSA Chart (Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes) for precise learning needs analysis.

Moving past guesswork, the KSA chart provides a structured, detailed framework for understanding what people need to learn and unlearn to thrive in the new environment.

Tune in to master this powerful analytical tool, transforming your learning strategy from a generic effort into a surgical intervention that ensures competence and drives adoption.

🎯 Related course: Change Management Practitioner course

About Training ByteSize: We are a family-run project management training company dedicated to helping individuals and organisations achieve their full potential. With over 25 years of experience, we provide world-class, accredited training across the most globally recognised frameworks.

Take Your Career Further:

• 📚 Explore Our Courses: Browse all our accredited courses
• 💡 Free Resources: Read our latest blogs and guides
• 🎓Corporate Solutions: Enquire about training for your team

Connect With Our Community:

• LinkedIn: Follow us for industry news & insights
• YouTube: Watch our expert tutorials and student stories
• Facebook: @trainingbytesize

Enjoying the Podcast? If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your feedback helps us continue to provide high-quality content for the project management community.

For years, trainers relied on Learning Styles models (like VARK) to tailor training, believing that people learn best when information is matched to their preferred style (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, etc.). But what does modern cognitive science say about this theory?

Beyond V-A-R-K: What Really Drives Learning

This practical Microlesson cuts through the controversy to give you the advanced, evidence-based approach to designing change training that truly sticks.

Tune in to upgrade your change training skills and align your practice with the latest in cognitive psychology.

🎯 Related course: Change Management Practitioner course

About Training ByteSize: We are a family-run project management training company dedicated to helping individuals and organisations achieve their full potential. With over 25 years of experience, we provide world-class, accredited training across the most globally recognised frameworks.

Take Your Career Further:

• 📚 Explore Our Courses: Browse all our accredited courses
• 💡 Free Resources: Read our latest blogs and guides
• 🎓Corporate Solutions: Enquire about training for your team

Connect With Our Community:

• LinkedIn: Follow us for industry news & insights
• YouTube: Watch our expert tutorials and student stories
• Facebook: @trainingbytesize

Enjoying the Podcast? If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your feedback helps us continue to provide high-quality content for the project management community.

Change initiatives often stall, not because of a bad plan, but because they fail to achieve Critical Mass—that tipping point where momentum becomes unstoppable. This essential Microlesson dissects the key roles responsible for generating, supporting, and executing change across the organisation.

Tune in to learn how to identify, activate, and align these three critical groups to move your change from a handful of believers to an organisation-wide mandate, ensuring your project delivers its intended benefits.

🎯 Related course: Change Management Practitioner course

About Training ByteSize: We are a family-run project management training company dedicated to helping individuals and organisations achieve their full potential. With over 25 years of experience, we provide world-class, accredited training across the most globally recognised frameworks.

Take Your Career Further:

• 📚 Explore Our Courses: Browse all our accredited courses
• 💡 Free Resources: Read our latest blogs and guides
• 🎓Corporate Solutions: Enquire about training for your team

Connect With Our Community:

• LinkedIn: Follow us for industry news & insights
• YouTube: Watch our expert tutorials and student stories
• Facebook: @trainingbytesize

Enjoying the Podcast? If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your feedback helps us continue to provide high-quality content for the project management community.

Before you launch any major change, you must first answer a critical question: "Who is affected, and how significantly?" This focused Microlesson provides the foundational tools and techniques for conducting a robust Change Impact Assessment (CIA).

Understanding technical changes is not enough; you must quantify the impact on roles, processes, and people. A solid CIA is the bedrock of your entire change management plan.

Tune in to master this essential change management discipline, ensuring you target your resources effectively and minimise disruption for those on the front lines.

🎯 Related course: Change Management Foundation course

About Training ByteSize: We are a family-run project management training company dedicated to helping individuals and organisations achieve their full potential. With over 25 years of experience, we provide world-class, accredited training across the most globally recognised frameworks.

Take Your Career Further:

• 📚 Explore Our Courses: Browse all our accredited courses
• 💡 Free Resources: Read our latest blogs and guides
• 🎓Corporate Solutions: Enquire about training for your team

Connect With Our Community:

• LinkedIn: Follow us for industry news & insights
• YouTube: Watch our expert tutorials and student stories
• Facebook: @trainingbytesize

Enjoying the Podcast? If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your feedback helps us continue to provide high-quality content for the project management community.

Communication is the bloodstream of change, but not all messages are created equal. This focused Microlesson explores the fundamental difference between One-Way and Two-Way communication and why the mix you choose can make or break your change initiative.

Successful change leaders understand that effective communication is a balance between sharing necessary information and actively listening to the people affected.

Tune in to master the most critical component of change management and ensure your communication strategy is driving, not derailing, your project.

🎯 Related course: Change Management Foundation course

About Training ByteSize: We are a family-run project management training company dedicated to helping individuals and organisations achieve their full potential. With over 25 years of experience, we provide world-class, accredited training across the most globally recognised frameworks.

Take Your Career Further:

• 📚 Explore Our Courses: Browse all our accredited courses
• 💡 Free Resources: Read our latest blogs and guides
• 🎓Corporate Solutions: Enquire about training for your team

Connect With Our Community:

• LinkedIn: Follow us for industry news & insights
• YouTube: Watch our expert tutorials and student stories
• Facebook: @trainingbytesize

Enjoying the Podcast? If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your feedback helps us continue to provide high-quality content for the project management community.

In an era of constant transformation, employee engagement isn't a bonus—it's the engine of successful change. This practical Microlesson cuts through the noise to deliver five actionable principles that foundationally shift how you lead people through change.

This episode focuses on moving your workforce beyond simply complying with a new process to genuinely committing to the new way of working.

You will learn the 5 critical principles for building enduring engagement:

1. Lead with Purpose: Why a clear, compelling reason for change must always precede the plan.
2. Visible Advocacy: The non-negotiable role of active and visible sponsorship in legitimising the change.
3. Two-Way Dialogue: How to move past broadcast communication and create genuine feedback loops that capture valuable insights and address concerns.
4. Empower Local Leaders: The necessity of equipping people managers with the tools and authority to guide their teams through daily changes.
5. Celebrate Early Wins: The power of recognising and reinforcing initial successes to build momentum and demonstrate progress.

Tune in to quickly gain a solid, foundational understanding of how to make your change stick by putting the human element—engagement—at the center of your strategy.

🎯 Related course: Change Management Foundation course

About Training ByteSize: We are a family-run project management training company dedicated to helping individuals and organisations achieve their full potential. With over 25 years of experience, we provide world-class, accredited training across the most globally recognised frameworks.

Take Your Career Further:

• 📚 Explore Our Courses: Browse all our accredited courses
• 💡 Free Resources: Read our latest blogs and guides
• 🎓Corporate Solutions: Enquire about training for your team

Connect With Our Community:

• LinkedIn: Follow us for industry news & insights
• YouTube: Watch our expert tutorials and student stories
• Facebook: @trainingbytesize

Enjoying the Podcast? If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your feedback helps us continue to provide high-quality content for the project management community.

To successfully implement change, you must first understand the journey your stakeholders are on. This short, practical episode focuses on the foundational Change Management technique of Stakeholder Empathy Mapping.

Understanding the Human Element of Change

Discover how moving beyond simple stakeholder identification to truly mapping their experience—what they See, Think, Feel, and Do—can transform your change strategy.

This crucial skill turns generalised change plans into personalised strategies, making the human side of your project manageable and ensuring the change sticks. Tune in to master the art of empathetic change leadership!

🎯 Related course: Change Management Foundation course

About Training ByteSize: We are a family-run project management training company dedicated to helping individuals and organisations achieve their full potential. With over 25 years of experience, we provide world-class, accredited training across the most globally recognised frameworks.

Take Your Career Further:

• 📚 Explore Our Courses: Browse all our accredited courses
• 💡 Free Resources: Read our latest blogs and guides
• 🎓Corporate Solutions: Enquire about training for your team

Connect With Our Community:

• LinkedIn: Follow us for industry news & insights
• YouTube: Watch our expert tutorials and student stories
• Facebook: @trainingbytesize

Enjoying the Podcast? If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your feedback helps us continue to provide high-quality content for the project management community.

Change is cascaded from the top, but it is realised at the local level. This episode zeroes in on one of the most vital, yet often overlooked, roles in successful organisational transformation: the Local Leader (or people manager).

Why Local Leaders are the Change Linchpin

Local leaders are the daily face of change for front-line employees. They hold the key to turning strategic vision into practical, day-to-day reality.

If you are a middle manager, team lead, or change practitioner, this episode will provide the Change Management Foundation principles and tools you need to effectively support, guide, and empower your teams through any organisational shift.

🎯 Related course: Change Management Foundation course

About Training ByteSize: We are a family-run project management training company dedicated to helping individuals and organisations achieve their full potential. With over 25 years of experience, we provide world-class, accredited training across the most globally recognised frameworks.

Take Your Career Further:

• 📚 Explore Our Courses: Browse all our accredited courses
• 💡 Free Resources: Read our latest blogs and guides
• 🎓Corporate Solutions: Enquire about training for your team

Connect With Our Community:

• LinkedIn: Follow us for industry news & insights
• YouTube: Watch our expert tutorials and student stories
• Facebook: @trainingbytesize

Enjoying the Podcast? If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your feedback helps us continue to provide high-quality content for the project management community.