Tag: education

Mark Whitfield – Education, IT Training & Career Timeline

Mark Whitfield is an established, UK-based, SC-cleared Senior IT Project Manager and Engagement Manager at Capgemini UK with over 35 years of experience spanning the entire Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC).

Mark Whitfield IT Project Manager Education and Career Summary
Mark Whitfield | IT Project Manager | Education and Career Summary

Specialising in complex digital transformations, hybrid cloud migrations, and API-led system integrations, he has successfully directed multi-million-pound initiatives for major blue-chip clients, including Barclays, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), Royal Mail Group (RMG), and the Bank of England.

Beyond corporate consulting, he is the founder and author of PROject Templates, an open repository containing over 200 professional project management resources and frameworks.

🎓 Education & Higher Learning

Mark Whitfield built his technical foundation in the late 1980s and early 1990s in Greater Manchester:

  • Higher Education: Graduated with an HND (Distinction) in Computing (1988–1990) from the University of Bolton (formerly known as the Bolton Institute of Higher Education).
  • Further Education: Studied at Leigh College, completing preliminary computing and technical certificates.
  • Secondary Education: Attended Park High Secondary School.

🛠️ Professional IT & Management Training

Throughout his career, Whitfield has continuously updated his project governance credentials across Agile, Waterfall, and technical infrastructure ecosystems:

Project Management & Framework Governance

  • Advanced Engagement Management (Level 2): Certified at the Capgemini Campus (Serge Kampf Les Fontaines in Chantilly, France) for enterprise client delivery.
  • PRINCE2 Practitioner & Foundation: Registered practitioner status achieved through the ILX Group.
  • Agile SCRUM Framework: Advanced agile mechanics and sprint methodology training completed via RADTAC.
  • ITIL Foundation: Certified in ITIL service management infrastructure.
  • Project Management Fundamentals: Completed specialized tracks including “Managing Multiple Projects” via Skillpath.

Cloud Infrastructure & Technical Programming

  • AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals: Certified in cloud architecture concepts.
  • Mainframe & Enterprise Systems: Highly trained in HPE NonStop/Tandem architectures, including GUARDIAN, TAL (Tandem Application Language), Transaction Handlers, and SQL performance tuning.
  • Programming Languages: Formal background in C, C++, Transact-SQL, COBOL85, Java/Android development (via Eclipse), and the ASP.NET framework.
  • Cybersecurity & Cryptography: Completed specialist technical courses with Thales e-Security covering PayShield hardware security modules (HSM), SRM, and SafeSign configurations.

💼 Comprehensive Career & Project Breakdown

1. Enterprise Cloud & Integration Era (2016–Present)

Role: Senior Engagement Project Manager at Capgemini UK

  • Hybrid Cloud Migrations: Spearheaded massive cloud transformation workstreams migrating legacy on-premise infrastructure into Microsoft Azure and AWS ecosystems.
  • MuleSoft Delivery Management: Augmented into MuleSoft (a Salesforce company) as a Delivery Manager. He directed API-led connectivity frameworks across the Anypoint Platform to seamlessly unify decoupled enterprise systems.
  • Key Client Engagements: Managed high-stakes project deliveries for strategic portfolios, including Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), Royal Mail Group (RMG), Euroclear, NATS, and the Bank of England.

2. Digital Sportsbook & Retail Transformation Era (2013–2016)

Role: Senior Agile IT Project Manager at Betfred & Wincor Nixdorf

  • Betfred Mobile Sportsbook: Acted as Senior PM delivering complex, high-concurrency mobile sports betting applications and integrated web payment gateways. Managed continuous integration pipelines during critical sporting events under strict regulatory frameworks.
  • Wincor Nixdorf Automation: Delivered software pipeline deployments for automated teller machines (ATMs) and banking point-of-sale (POS) hardware terminals across European retail networks.

3. Technical Consultancy & Product Management Era (1995–2013)

Role: Product Manager & Project Manager at Insider Technologies Limited (ITL)

  • Multi-Product Lifecycle Control: Directed the end-to-end SDLC of four core automated system management products. Focused on real-time transaction tracking and Service Level Agreement (SLA) monitoring for global mainframes.
  • International Banking Deployments: Headed multi-disciplinary engineering squads to build and deploy high-volume transaction surveillance systems based on BASE24 ATM architectures.
    • Delivered major implementations for HSBC (2008) and Al Rajhi Bank in Saudi Arabia (2012).
    • Collaborated with joint architects at Alliance & Leicester (now Santander) to design, construct, and execute an advanced ATM/POS performance tracking engine.

4. Early Software Engineering Era (1990–1995)

Role: Core Programmer / Software Developer at The Software Partnership (Acquired by Deluxe Data International in 1994)

  • Electronic Banking Mainframes: Began his career immediately after graduating, authoring COBOL85, TAL, and NonStop SQL code for pioneering electronic banking systems.
  • sp/ARCHITECT-BANK Platform: Maintained and enhanced core terminal software running on Tandem Computers (now HPE NonStop). Implemented corporate inter-account desktop transfer modules for global institutions such as TSB, Bank of Scotland, Girofon (Denmark), and Rabobank.

📊 Industry Contribution: PROject Templates

Outside of corporate project delivery, Whitfield publishes structural planning toolkits widely referenced across modern PMOs. His platform, PROject Templates, focuses on accelerating fast-track client-facing deliverables through downloadable blueprints:

  • Core Artifacts: Customisable MS Project Plans (MPP) and advanced Excel Financial Trackers.
  • Governance Frameworks: Comprehensive, cross-functional RAID Logs (Risks, Actions, Issues, Dependencies), RACI Assignment Matrices, and Plan on a Page (POaP) timelines.

Mark Whitfield – Education and Professional Training Timeline Summary

Mark Whitfield is a Greater Manchester-based Senior IT Project and Engagement Manager.

With over 30 years in the IT and software development industry, he has continuously upskilled in project delivery, Agile methodologies, cloud platforms, and cyber security.

Mark Whitfield - Education and Professional Training Timeline Summary

Phase 1: Foundational Education

  • 1985 – 1988: Leigh College, UK
    • Focus: Computer Science and Biology (‘A’ Levels)
  • 1988 – 1990: University of Greater Manchester (formerly Bolton Institute of Higher Education, BIHE)
    • Focus: Higher National Diploma (HND) in Computer Studies (Graduated with Distinction; First overall in the year)
    • Key Modules: System Analysis, Programming Methodology, Database Architecture, and Business Information Systems

Phase 2: Project Management & Professional Training

  • 2000 – 2006: Industry Integration & Early Methodologies
    • Focus: Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), Agile, Sales, and early project management
    • Courses/Certifications: Sales and Marketing (In-house Outsource, 2001), Web Services and SOA (Insider Technologies, 2005), PRINCE2 Foundation (2006), Designing Good Marketing Literature (SkillPath Seminars, 2006)
  • 2009: Digital & Communications
    • Focus: Digital marketing and content
    • Courses: Writing for the Web, and Website Promotion and Visibility by Design (iTrain Education)
  • 2011: Structured Frameworks
    • Focus: Formal project frameworks and delivery methodologies
    • Courses/Certifications: PRINCE2 Foundation & Practitioner (ILX Group), Agile Scrum (RADTAC)
  • 2012: Operational Management
    • Focus: Service management best practices
    • Courses/Certifications: ITIL Foundation

Phase 3: Advanced Engagement & Enterprise Training

  • 2017 – 2019: Capgemini Engagement & Compliance
    • Focus: High-level engagement management and corporate governance
    • Courses/Certifications: Advanced Engagement Management Certification (Level 2), Group Anti-Corruption, and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Training
  • 2022: Cloud Modernization
    • Focus: Enterprise cloud computing fundamentals
    • Courses/Certifications: AZ-900 Microsoft Certified Azure Fundamentals

For more granular details on his certifications and career history, you can check Mark Whitfield Professional Training.

1985 to 1988 : Computing at Leigh College (now Wigan and Leigh College) Marshall Street, Leigh, Lancashire, UK. WN7 4HX

1985 to 1988 : Computing at Leigh College (now Wigan and Leigh College) Marshall Street, Leigh, Lancashire, UK. WN7 4HX
Leigh College (now Wigan and Leigh College) pre-2007

1985 to 1988 : Leigh College (now Wigan and Leigh College)
Marshall Street, Leigh, Lancashire, UK. WN7 4HX

2 ‘A’ Levels – Computer Science and Biology

(building below demolished 2007 and now rebuilt at the Leigh Sports Village – 1, 2, 3, 4 article by Julie McKiernan courtesy of PastForward, produced by Wigan Archives & Museums, Issue No. 97, August – November 2024, Marking 50 years of the borough, Wigan and Leigh’s local history magazine – Address: Past Forward, Archives, Wigan & Leigh, Leigh Town Hall, Mark Street, Leigh, WN7 1DY) 

Mark Whitfield Computing at Leigh College (now Wigan and Leigh College) Marshall Street, Leigh, Lancashire, UK. WN7 4HX

My ‘A’ Level Computing Project was developed on a Amstrad PC 1512 and was written in Turbo Pascal. The software provided a means for a local town newspaper to store, track and calculate the money payable to delivery staff based on paper round metrics. These metrics related to size of round, papers delivered and any leaflets attached to a delivery for that week. 

My ‘O’ Level Computing Project was developed on a LINK 480Z Research Machine and was written in Extended BASIC. Three submissions were required with appropriate design and testing. The excerpts here show details of a BASIC program for storing and displaying student exam results.

Leigh College, Marshall Street, Leigh. WN7 4HX – Timeline History from 1966

The Leigh College old building on Marshall Street was an iconic piece of the town’s educational landscape that stood for 41 years before being replaced by modern facilities.

Chronological Timeline

  • 1966: The Marshall Street campus building is officially constructed and opened, initially serving the local education system as the area transitioned away from traditional grammar schools.
  • 1976: Leigh College officially begins its primary era at the Marshall Street building following major local secondary and further education restructuring.
  • 1985–1988: The building serves a generation of A-Level and vocational students with highly regarded local facilities, though the physical structure begins to show its age.
  • 1992: Leigh College amalgamates with the Wigan College of Technology to form Wigan and Leigh College. The Marshall Street building remains open as a primary Leigh-based campus alongside the Railway Road site.
  • 2002: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) approves a series of radical redevelopment plans due to the increasingly poor, outdated condition of the Marshall Street accommodation.
  • 2003–2004: Major plans for the £75 million Leigh Sports Village are finalized and approved. The project officially designates a new, modern location for the Leigh campus, sealing the fate of the Marshall Street building.
  • 2007: The gates close for the final time on August 1, 2007. The 600 remaining sixth-form and adult students are relocated to the brand-new, three-story facility at the Leigh Sports Village. Later that year, the 41-year-old old building is completely demolished.
Leigh College (now Wigan and Leigh College) Marshall Street, Leigh, Lancashire, UK. WN7 4HX
1966 to 2007 – Leigh College (now Wigan and Leigh College) Marshall Street, Leigh, Lancashire, UK. WN7 4HX
  • 2026: A 50th-anniversary reunion and a dedicated local history project are organized by local historians to commemorate the 1976 launch of the Marshall Street college era.
Mark Whitfield Leigh College Marshall Street 1985 thru 1988
Mark Whitfield | Leigh College, Marshall Street 1985 thru 1988