I am an experienced researcher in a post doc position in IT but am looking to head towards more project management roles within the banking, intelligent buildings or software development industry.

Ideally I would like to eventually work for a big bank or large company.

I know of Prince 2 and PMP qualifications but are they any good? Maybe there is another one which is better?

The Project Management Institute, or PMI, is widely recognized as the industry-recognized standard for project management methodology and certification. It is from them that you can acquire your PMP and other project managements certificatins. Prince 2 is more widely known in Europe than PMI. It is a matter of personal opinion which one is ‘better’ — you’ll likely get a different answer for every person you ask. If you are in the U.S. though, you might get more bang for your buck to be associated with PMI since, as I said, Prince 2 isn’t as widely known. In either case having a professional project management certification will tell potential employers that you’re serious about the discipline and are willing to go the extra mile to become skilled in a standardized methodology in the field.

If you are looking for PMI you should be looking for courses that are from companies who are R.E.P.s (Registered Education Providers). You can perform a search on the page below to locate an organization close to you.