How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
- specialist courses
University
You could do a degree or postgraduate qualification, then start on a graduate training scheme with an employer. Most subjects are acceptable, for example:
- project management
- business management
- business analytics
- marketing
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
- a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course
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Apprenticeship
You could apply to do an apprenticeship, such as:
- Digital Product Manager Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship
- Project Manager Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship
These can take between 2 and 4 years to complete.
After finishing your apprenticeship, you'll need to get experience working in digital delivery teams before getting a job as a product owner.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship
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Work
You could start out in a junior or assistant role. Employers will set their own requirements, though an understanding of some of the following might be helpful:
- product marketing
- customer experience
- user research
- business change management
- agile project management methods like Scrum, Kanban and Lean
Other Routes
If you do not have work experience, there are some things you can do, such as:
- develop skills in data analysis
- study online about the role of digital product management
- take a specialist course in product management
- join online product management communities for tips and networking opportunities
Real career story
University and work experience
“I went to university to study French and Politics. At university I did work experience at a city council. I found it interesting seeing the choices that the council was having to make.”
Master’s degree and first job
“I did a master’s in public policy as I was finding it hard to get a job. I got a job as a policy officer, but I found this role quite boring, as it relied a lot on reading reports.”
Business analyst
“I got the opportunity to be a business analyst as you didn’t need any specific experience. I really enjoyed this work as it was fast-paced, and I worked on lots of different areas. I went on to do a few more business analyst roles.”
Product manager
“I wanted a role with a bit more responsibility, so I moved to a junior product manager role, and then became a senior product manager. I enjoy this role as there’s always lots to do, and I’ve worked on lots of interesting projects.”
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Further information
You can find out more about working in the digital industry from techskills.