Management qualifications

Each ILM management qualification is made up of individual units, some of which are mandatory (covering critical aspects of the role) and some are optional. This flexibility to choose units enables organisations and individuals to focus on the areas of management most relevant to their specific role or industry needs. Every unit is designed, assessed and quality assured to the highest national standards.

These qualifications are designed to meet the needs of managers at different levels and with different responsibilities, authority and spans of control:

• Team leaders are part of the team they lead, doing much the same work but with the added responsibility for communicating between the team and line managers, allocating tasks, monitoring performance and ensuring that systems and procedures are followed correctly to achieve specific targets
Qualifications: ILM Level 2 Award and Certificate in Team Leading or ILM Level 2 S/NVQ in Team Leading

• First line managers are the first tier in the organisation’s management structure, often undertaking similar work to the teams they supervise, but with specific (although often limited) responsibilities for areas like planning, staffing, financial control, work allocation and performance to achieve operational objectives
Qualifications: ILM Level 3 Award, Certificate and Diploma in First Line Management or ILM Level 3 S/NVQ in Management

• Middle managers head up departments and specialist teams, have widespread responsibilities for resources, staff, finances and work performance to achieve operational and organisational objectives
Qualifications: ILM Level 5 Award, Certificate and Diploma in Management or ILM Level 4 S/NVQ in Management

• Senior managers run large departments, business units or functional areas, and are responsible for developing and implementing strategies to achieve organisational goals
Qualifications: ILM Level 7 Award, Certificate and Diploma in Executive Management or ILM Level 5 S/NVQ in Management

ILM VRQs at level 4 and level 6 are designed to act as bridges between levels 3 & 5 and 5 & 7 respectively. These qualifications are suitable for people who may not have developed all of the skills required for study at the higher level.