Prince2 for A level student?

**NotAllThere** · 29 August 2018, 05:56

Originally posted by northernladuk View Post

Would an A level student be able to pass Prince 2 foundation or is it all just going to be gobbledegook to him?

Having known quite a few people with Prince 2 qualifications, I'm sure it's no harder than a Physics A level, for example. The only difficulty for your son is that not only has he no PM experience, he's unlikely to know how the corporate or even adult world works.

**northernladuk** · 29 August 2018, 07:26

Originally posted by NotAllThere View Post

Having known quite a few people with Prince 2 qualifications, I'm sure it's no harder than a Physics A level, for example. The only difficulty for your son is that not only has he no PM experience, he's unlikely to know how the corporate or even adult world works.

And that's exactly what I'm thinking the problem will be. As soon as they start on about stake holders, governance, change and so on he's just going to get lost. I remember I could have passed mine just doing the sample papers as at least 80% of the questions were repeated from papers available on the Web but some of the blurb says its changed.

Might have to rethink this one.

**WTFH** · 29 August 2018, 07:59

Send him on an AutoCAD course.

It was as a result of using AutoCAD at university that I ended up in IT.

**northernladuk** · 29 August 2018, 08:18

Originally posted by WTFH View Post

Send him on an AutoCAD course.

It was as a result of using AutoCAD at university that I ended up in IT.

Funnily enough same. I was an electrical designer and no one was interested in the new fangled Cad machine we bought so sent myself on a course and it all went south from there.

**WTFH** · 29 August 2018, 08:52

Originally posted by northernladuk View Post

Funnily enough same. I was an electrical designer and no one was interested in the new fangled Cad machine we bought so sent myself on a course and it all went south from there.

2nd year project was about using AutoCAD to automate tasks (designing custom pressure and temperature gauge dials). I learned to code in AutoLISP. Found bugs in the original software and for at least 4 releases after that I actually got a mention in the code.
By the final year, I was tutoring the lecturer on using the software.

**Whorty** · 3 September 2018, 08:06

Could he pass Prince 2? I suspect yes as it's a numpty exam required by companies but IMO adds little to no value without experience. I first did P2 back in 2005 and have since resat to keep it up to date - both times there were absolute numpties on the course that I think would struggle to tie their own shoe laces that passed both Foundation and Practitioner.

Current place I'm working, a few days in I meet a PA/secretary who proclaims that she is a PM like me. I asked her what projects she'd managed and she said, none yet but I've passed my Prince 2. And there in lies the issue - anyone can pass Prince 2 even with no PM experience, all you need to do is learn the questions.

For your son, autoCAD might be a more practical course for this stage in his life. No one will give him a PM role based on his P2 exams, but they may give him a role and a start in life based on autoCAD. He can always do P2 later when he has a couple of days to spare/waste!

**vwdan** · 3 September 2018, 09:01

Originally posted by NotAllThere View Post

Having known quite a few people with Prince 2 qualifications, I'm sure it's no harder than a Physics A level, for example. The only difficulty for your son is that not only has he no PM experience, he's unlikely to know how the corporate or even adult world works.

Agreed with this - one of the biggest things I'm thankful for is doing an otherwise pointless IT course that had a bunch of ex, and some current part time, industry lecturers. Learnt a lot of words and a lot of "real life" tips through those guys. I remember submitting a really detailed answer to a pretend "tender" style question - I got top marks, but a comment saying "Great work, but remember, you won't have time to write at this length, practice condensing it down".

Just knowing that the concept of change management, SLA's and so on was a "thing" really helped me in my first job where others were floundering and trying to figure out what the hell a key stakeholder was.

**BR14** · 3 September 2018, 09:39

Originally posted by Whorty View Post

- both times there were absolute numpties on the course that I think would struggle to tie their own shoe laces that passed both Foundation and Practitioner.

So, standard PM's then ;-)

**Lance** · 3 September 2018, 11:45

Originally posted by Whorty View Post

Could he pass Prince 2? I suspect yes as it's a numpty exam required by companies but IMO adds little to no value without experience. I first did P2 back in 2005 and have since resat to keep it up to date - both times there were absolute numpties on the course that I think would struggle to tie their own shoe laces that passed both Foundation and Practitioner.

pretty much this ^^^^^^

When I did PII the foundation was multiple guess so a total piece of p*ss.
The practitioner was written so you had to actually understand it. Similarly most other people on the course were thick as mince, and completely failed to understand the abstract concept of product based planning so they all failed. If NLUKs youngest is reasonably academic (maths and physics A level suggest so) then he/she'd be able to both (foundation and practitioner) in a week without any project experience.

EDIT: I do wonder if #1 child were working as a full time member of staff for NLUK LTD. whether the company could pay for the course......

Prince2 for A level student?