Having switched companies and roles, I can say the majority of your success will come down to how you communicate. Courses and re-training will definitely help.

Having switched companies and roles, I can say the majority of your success will come down to how you communicate. Courses and re-training will definitely help. Based on what you've already said, you do have project management experience albeit in an academic setting so the onus is on you to convince me how it is equivalent or even better than having project management experience in industry. And I can assure you that there are benefits from your skills. People hire because they trust you can do the job and because they like you or get along with you. If you can give them confidence you can do the job and they like you, you're in. In your case, I'd start by looking at the job postings of companies you're particularly interested in. Then build a list of everything you've done in your current role and academic role and draw parallels with the job requirements.