ILM Qualifications

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We've been in education for 130 years, and we're committed to helping everyone build a career that they're proud of. A huge part of that involves giving people the freedom to shape ILM around their lives. 

Our courses are perfect for you if you have a full-time job, kids, an irregular working pattern, a busy schedule, or if you simply want to be in control of when and where you learn.

From our self-paced course structure to our extended study periods to our unlimited tutor support, we give you the flexibility you need to achieve your ILM qualification, no matter what life throws at you.

The Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) is one of the largest providers of leadership and management qualifications in the world. They're part of the prestigious City and Guilds group.

More than 70,000 people take an ILM qualification each year, and they work with major organisations such as Santander to improve their leadership capabilities.

90% of ILM students say they're able to apply the leadership and management skills they learned to their day-to-day role, and 9 out of 10 recommend ILM.

ILM Level 2 qualifications are designed for current or aspiring team leaders and supervisors. They're perfect if you're just starting out in your management career.

You could study the comprehensive ILM Level 2 Certificate or the shorter ILM Level 2 Award.

ILM Level 3 qualifications are for junior and first-line managers. They're ideal if you have (or will have) management responsibilities but have no formal training.

Choose between the wide-ranging ILM Level 3 Certificate or the bite-sized ILM Level 3 Award.

ILM Level 5 qualifications are designed for middle managers and department heads. They're set at undergraduate level and will develop and extend your existing leadership skills.

Study three units on the ILM Level 5 Certificate, or two on the ILM Level 5 Award.

Certificate and Award indicate the length and scope of your ILM qualification.

An ILM Certificate covers a variety of modules, while an ILM Award covers a smaller number of topics.

We offer leadership and management qualifications from two world-class awarding bodies, the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM).

Both are highly prestigious, internationally recognised, and will give a huge boost to your skills and career – so how do you choose which one is right for you?

Firstly, it depends on where you are in your management career. We offer the following CMI and ILM qualifications:

• ILM Level 2 courses are for supervisors
• ILM Level 3 courses are for first-line managers
• ILM Level 5 courses and CMI Level 5 courses are for mid-level managers
• CMI Level 7 courses are for senior managers and directors

If you’re a mid-level manager choosing between ILM and CMI, there are a few things to consider.

If you’re looking to become a Chartered Manager, then CMI is right for you. The CMI is the only professional body in the world that can bestow Chartered Manager status.

CMI qualifications are also ideal if you want to deep dive into professional leadership theory and practice. You’ll study fewer modules than on an ILM qualification, but you’ll cover each topic in greater depth.

CMI courses are highly strategic in focus, making them perfect if you want to develop your high-level strategic management knowledge.

ILM qualifications, on the other hand, are highly practical, focused on helping you apply your workforce management skills in real-life situations.

They’re great if you want to touch on a broader range of hands-on management topics, as the modules are shorter than CMI, allowing you to study more subjects in less depth.

Still not sure? Get in touch with our course advisors by email, phone, or online chat – we’ll be happy to help.