How to be a Project Coordinator, Courses, Responsibilities, Types, Salary, Skills, Jobs 2023

Quick Facts about Project Coordinators 

Some of the important facts of project coordinators has been tabulated below:

What does a Project Coordinator Do? 

Project coordinators work on a large number of industries, handling a wide range of jobs profiles. However, the major responsibilities of the project coordinator irrespective of industry remain more or less constant.Typical responsibilities include designing certain aspects of the project, monitoring its progress, scheduling meetings, and supervising project team members. Let us understand some of the responsibilities are project coordinators in details:

• Second in Command: The project coordinators generally work under the project managers and appraise them about the various progress in the daily. Thus, one of the major duties of the project coordinator is to support the project managers and act as a bridge between the project manager and the subordinates.
• Work and coordinate with different departments: The Project Coordinators usually work with project managers, architects, engineers and other specialists to make sure that the desired goals are achieved efficiently and effectively. Their work involves the collection and analysing of data that is related to the concerned project, sharing the relevant documents and reports with the project team, solving the issues pertaining to contracts and projects and so on.
• Manage workflow: One of the important responsibilities of a project coordinator is to handle the workflow of a project. The project coordinators handle the assignments of the various tasks to the different departments and maintain the time schedule of the project. The project coordinators are also responsible for maintaining the budget allocation.
• Reviewing and documentation: The project coordinator reviews and maintains the overall documentation of the project. They ensure that the resources and equipment required for the project are available and try to employ the best practice of the industry within the project.

Project coordinators must be well-organized, efficient, multitasking experts, and motivated to succeed.

How To Become a Project Coordinator: Steps to Follow 

The various steps to be followed for becoming a Project Coordinator have been listed below for further reference:

• Decision Making: Students must decide as early as possible if they wish to take up their career as a Project Coordinator. Being a very demanding job, it requires the professionals’ undivided attention and focuses on work. As a result, candidates must determine whether they are prepared for such a demanding job. The candidates should also be prepared to take responsibility because it involves bridging the gap between the project manager and the subordinates and being answerable to both. .
• Selecting the right College: You must be very focused while selecting your colleges as this is a major thing that plays a role in your turning into a Project Coordinator. You must check through all the colleges that are providing Project Management courses along with their fees to ensure that it meets your requirements. Also, you must check the reviews for the college and its affiliations, approvals and gradings. It is also important that the candidates conduct due diligence about the placement records of the colleges as project management courses are expensive and the candidates look to recoup their cost quickly.
• Entrance Exam: There are no specific entrance exams for becoming a Project Coordinator courses at the certificate and diploma level and it is entirely dependent on the candidates' educational qualifications. However, admission to any Project Management course in the undergraduate and postgraduate level, requires aspirants to pass different entrance exams in order to gain admission to top colleges. The top entrance exams are CAT,MAT, XAT and many more.
• After Qualifying Exam: Those candidates who pass the respective colleges' entrance exams are then invited to personal interviews and counselling sessions in order to gain admission to the college of their choice. If the candidates qualify for the interview and other due processes then they are offered admission to the colleges.

Types of Project Coordinators

Candidates may find different jobs after completion of their project management course. There are various job profiles available for a project coordinator. The following are the list of different types of project coordinator:

Lead Project Coordinator 

• These professionals are given the responsibility to give helpful customer services and provide account administration by being a connection between the concerned company and its affiliates. 
• They are responsible for tracking the status of each customer's shipment and resolving any conflicts or issues that arise.
• They are in charge of maintaining the quality standard of the projects and maintaining service engagement and assessment analysis.
• They are tasked to find the root cause of various problems in the project execution and are responsible for troubleshooting the problem.

Construction Project Manager 

• Such professionals are concerned with the planning, organising as well as directing of the various activities of any construction projects under the supervision of the General Manager.
• They are responsible for reviewing and managing the project in depth and ensure all the deliverables are met within a stipulated period of time.
• They are responsible for maintaining the budget, estimating costs, maintaining building and safety regulations.

• They help in preparing contracts with consultants, architects, contractors and subcontractors. 

Check Out: B.Arch Course

Technical Project Coordinators 

• These project coordinators work with the technical aspect of the projects. 
• They may work for helping to make technical diagrams, handling enquiries, interpreting drawing schedules, plan and paperwork, etc. Hence, they could be called as a part of project management in the engineering department.
• They are responsible for validating the technical requirement and reviewing the various technical aspects of the projects.
• They are responsible for liaising between the client & the team on the timely deliverables
• They maintain and monitor project plans, project schedules, work hours, budgets, expenditures and develop project strategies.

Project Managers 

• Project Managers are in charge of planning, organising, and coordinating the execution of specific projects for an organisation, ensuring that they are completed on time, on budget, and within scope.
• They are responsible for leading the project planning process and manage the various project progress and adapt the work in such a way that the projects are delivered within a given time.
• They are also responsible for creating a detailed review at the end of the projects.

How to be a Project Coordinator in India? 

In order to become a Project Coordinator in India, the candidates should at least have a certificate in project management. However, most of the companies prefer to have project coordinators who are at least graduate and with relevant work experience. In some cases a PG level degree may be required for a job. Let us see the different what are the preparation that a project coordinator aspirant can take at the various education level: 

If you want to work as a Project Coordinator, you'll need to make a decision regarding your professional path ahead of time. This decision begins in the 12th grade, when you must select what your future steps will be if you choose to become a Project Coordinator.

School Level Preparation 

• The decision to become a project coordinator should begin in the 10+2 level itself. 
• The candidates must look to take up various courses that they can pursue at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. 
• They should take stock of the various entrances that they would be facing in the future and start the preparation at higher secondary level itself. Most of the entrance syllabus includes subjects like general aptitude, reasoning, comprehension, etc. 

• Along with the Entrance Exams, candidates should check for courses offered at the undergraduate level where the admissions are based on the merit list. 

How to Become a Project Coordinator after 12th? 

After completing the 12th grade, students in India must pursue a set of steps in their undergraduate and postgraduate level to achieve their objective of becoming a Project Coordinator. The following steps are listed below for the aspirants convenience:

Undergraduate Level Preparation 

• After high school, the aspirants can take up management courses such as BBA Management or Bachelor in Management Studies so that they stay on track to be a project coordinator.
• The candidates should look to maintain a strong academic record during their graduation and try to keep an aggregate score of 60-65% so that they are able to get offers from top companies during the placement drive.
• Aspirants must look for internship opportunities that are available during the undergraduate degree, allowing them to gain valuable job experience.
• They should also keep preparing for the PG level entrance examination such as CAT,MAT, XAT, etc for better prospects. 

Postgraduate Level Preparation 

• Candidates should score at least 55% marks in their undergraduate level to gain admission in the various postgraduate programmes such as MBA in Project Management, PGD in Project Management. 
• Candidates during the PG course should take up internships in various companies to learn the ropes of being a Project Coordinator.
• If interested to go for higher studies then the candidates should start preparing for the PhD entrance exam like CSIR-NET, XIMB-RAT (Research Aptitude Test), UGC NET. The candidates must solve previous year papers, mock tests to get an idea about the pattern of the exam paper.

How to Be a Project Coordinator Abroad?

Candidates often pursue the courses of project coordinator from abroad universities as they provide better infrastructure facilities along with research options and of course a better payment option. However, the candidates must keep the following thing in mind before opting for hardware engineering courses abroad.

• Ranking of the University: The candidates should first check out the ranking of different institutions and colleges published by various agencies around the world or of that specific country where the candidates want to take admission.
• Eligibility and Admission Requirements: The candidates should check out the admission and other requirements such as entrance examination required;english proficiency test such as TOEFL, IELTS; work experience and many more . Candidates are often required to take entrance exams such as GRE, GMAT, etc to get admission in the forein universities.
• Student and Work VISA: Every country has its separate visa norms for both study and work.Prior to applying for any course it is essential to have thorough knowledge on existing visa rules for both study and work.
• Fees & Scholarship: Since studying abroad is itself costly it is well advised to get thorough knowledge on fees structure of various institutes along with scholarship facility and criteria for scholarship in such institutes.

USA 

Candidates who want to study in the USA should keep the following things in mind before taking admission in project coordinator courses.

Educational Requirements 

The following are the educational requirements for the getting admission in the different course level :

• The students are required to have a strong academic background. In most cases the candidates are required to score between 83-86% in their qualification examination (that can be school level or graduation level).
• They must provide the marks obtained by them in the English proficiency tests like TOEFL or IELTS.
• The candidates are required to appear in entrance examinations such as GRE, GMAT to get admission to the project management courses.
• They are required to produce a resume of their previous work experience. 

Other Requirements 

Apart from the educational requirements the candidates are required to submit other documents such as: 

• Proof of financial support that explains that the candidates can afford their first year tuition fees as well as living expenses.
• Proof of Medical Health expenses.
• I-20 forms issued by the university for acquiring the F-1 student visa

• A valid Passport.

Top Colleges 

Canada 

Candidates who wish to study in Canada should keep the following thing in mind before taking admission in a relevant course for project coordinator in a Canadian University

Educational Requirements 

• The candidates are required to pass the relevant qualifying examination such as the high school level or graduation level with good overall aggregate. They need to score at least around 80% to get admission in good colleges.
• The candidates need to pass the english proficiency tests like the TOEFL or IELTS. The minimum score required for the exam are 80 and 6.5 respectively.
• The candidates need to pass entrance examinations such as GRE or GMAT. For admission to MBA in Project Management the candidates need to score 550 in their GMAT exam. 

Other Requirements 

• The Candidates need to submit the proof of their work experience in the form of a resume
• The candidates need to submit a letter of recommendation and statement of purpose. 
• The candidates should have a valid passport and a relevant visa, 

Top Colleges 

UK

The UK remains one of the most popular destinations for the candidates who want to study project coordinator courses from abroad. Candidates who wish to study in the UK should keep the following things in mind before seeking admission in the UK based colleges:

Educational Requirement 

• The Project management courses that are offered in the UK are mainly past graduate level courses. However, some of the courses that are offered at the undergraduate level as well.
• The candidates in the case of admission to the undergraduate level are required to score at least a grade point of BCC or CCC (60-65%) to gain admission.
• In the case of Post graduate course the candidates are required to score 2:1 (equivalent of 60% to 70%) or 2:2 (equivalent of 50% to 60%) at undergraduate level 
• The candidates should preferably have an engineering, science or management graduation degree in the undergraduate level.
• The candidates need to pass the english proficiency tests like the TOEFL or IELTS

Other Requirements 

• The candidates are required to submit at least two letters of recommendation.
• The candidates are required to have at least a few years of experience in the relevant field and should produce a resume indicating the same.
•  The candidates should procure a student visa before opting for the course.

Top Colleges 

Australia

Candidates who wish to study in Australia should keep the following things in mind before taking up project coordinator courses from various universities in Australia.

Educational Requirements 

• In the case of admission to the different undergraduate courses, students are required to pass the 12th and equivalent examination with a minimum of 65% marks.
• In the case of admission to the postgraduate level the candidates are required to score a minimum of 60% marks in the undergraduate level.
• The candidates are required to take the GMAT entrance examination for admission to some postgraduate course.
• The candidates need to pass the english proficiency tests like the TOEFL or IELTS

Other Requirements 

• The candidates are required to submit letters of recommendation during the admission process.
• The candidates need to submit a CV with their work experience.
• Candidates are required to produce a letter of purpose.

Top Colleges 

Benefits of Career as a Project Coordinator 

The job of a Project Coordinator undoubtedly has certain advantages that entice applicants to apply for the position. These advantages are listed below for your convenience: 

• Salary: Candidates who find lucrative employment as a Project Coordinator are initially paid about INR 2-10 lacs per year. In India the average salary of project coordinator is INR 395,000 per annum.However, the pay tends to increase with the increase in knowledge and experience. A project coordinator can earn upto INR 10,00,000 per annum after 20 years of experience 
• Job Security: The job of a Project Coordinator is in the Construction, Manufacturing, Architecture, Banking, IT, etc. industries. They may find employment in reputed private firms or even government agencies which provide them much more job security. As it is a management level job, thus, it has a considerable amount of job security. India is expected to provide over 70 lakh project management jobs between 2017-2027 thus underlying the overall job security. .
• Scope: Since the job of a Project Coordinator involves different areas of focus, there is surely a chance of an increased scope. They may explore various industries in which Project Coordinators are required such as Construction, Manufacturing, Architecture, Banking, IT, etc, thus, offering them a type of fluidity that many professions do not offer.
• Positive Impact: The Project coordinators are responsible for the proper execution of the projects. Whenever the projects are properly executed it creates a positive impact on the psyche of the person and improves their job satisfaction.

Check Out: Career as a Project Manager

Career as a Project Coordinators: Top Recruiters 

The following are some of the top companies that hire project coordinators are

Skills Required for a Project Coordinator 

The various skills required for be a Project Coordinator have been mentioned below: 

• Leadership Skills: Project Coordinators must have leadership skills in order to raise the chances of career enhancement and growth opportunities for the country. This is an essential skill for such professionals as it helps in understanding the goals of the concerned organisation and also understand the requirements of the different subordinates .
• Resource Management Skills: Project Coordinators must also have the Resource Management skills.The management of resources is extremely essential to mitigate future risks. The resource management skills are essential to maintain the budget of the projects 
• Risk Management: Project Coordinators must also inculcate in themselves the Risk Management Skills that help in recognising potential risks and recommending actions to avert them. 

Apart from this, some other skills have been mentioned below for your reference which are essential for the Project Coordinators to work effectively and efficiently.

Project Coordinator Salary in India

The average project Coordinator salary in India is INR 395,000 per annum. However, the project coordinator salary depends on various parameters such as type of organisation, experience wise or on job profile. The salary of Project Coordinator has been explained on the basis of different parameters.

Organisation Wise Salary 

Specialisation Wise 

Experience Wise