Every career journey is different, but successful leaders share one thing in common: a solid understanding of leadership and management principles.
The ability to motivate others, manage change, solve problems and communicate effectively doesn't happen by chance. It is built through developing the knowledge, confidence and understanding that underpin great leadership.
That's why ILM has introduced its new leadership and management development qualifications. Designed for current and aspiring managers, these qualifications help learners build practical leadership knowledge, strengthen their management capability and prepare for future career progression. Whether you're taking your first step towards management or investing in your long-term development, they provide the foundations needed to succeed in today's workplace.
Why building leadership and management knowledge creates value
For many aspiring leaders, the biggest challenge isn't gaining experience. It's developing the knowledge and understanding needed to lead effectively.
From managing performance and leading change to making informed decisions and building high-performing teams, today's managers need a broad range of capabilities. Developing this knowledge can help learners build confidence, prepare for greater responsibility and create a strong foundation for career progression.
The new ILM leadership and management development qualifications are designed to help learners develop a deeper understanding of leadership and management principles while applying their learning to real organisational challenges.
For employers, this means developing managers who have the knowledge to make better decisions, support their teams more effectively and contribute to organisational success. For learners, it means gaining practical leadership and management understanding that can be applied in their current role or support progression into future management opportunities.
By focusing on core leadership and management knowledge, these qualifications help learners create immediate value while laying the foundations for long-term professional growth.
A new route into leadership and management
Available at Levels 3 and 5, the new development qualifications offer a flexible, knowledge-focused route for learners looking to build their leadership and management capability.
Learners can develop knowledge across a wide range of leadership topics, including:
- Developing effective leadership skills
- Supporting others and managing performance
- Coaching techniques
- Leading projects
- Change management
- Problem solving and decision making
- Managing conflict
- Effective communication
- Developing high-performing teams
- Workplace legislation and compliance
With Award and Certificate pathways available, learners can choose a programme that matches their goals, interests and stage of career development.
Development qualifications vs skills qualifications: choosing the right route
The introduction of the development qualifications strengthens ILM's leadership and management portfolio by providing a complementary route alongside the existing skills qualifications, launched earlier in 2026.
While both programmes support leadership and management development, they are designed for different learner needs.
Leadership and Management Development Qualifications
Ideal for current and aspiring managers who want to develop their understanding of leadership and management.
- Knowledge-focused learning
- Assignment-based assessment
- Suitable for learners who cannot, or prefer not to, provide workplace evidence
- Can be assessed outside the workplace while still allowing learners to apply learning to their own context
- Supports progression into management roles and further leadership development
Leadership and Management Skills Qualifications
Ideal for practising managers who are already leading people, projects or operations.
- Skills-focused learning
- Portfolio-based assessment
- Requires workplace evidence and reflective practice
- Enables learners to demonstrate leadership and management capability in real work situations
- Suitable for commercial and apprenticeship delivery
Together, these qualifications create a more flexible leadership development offer, enabling providers and employers to select the right pathway based on learner circumstances, experience and career aspirations.
Designed for today's developing leaders
The new development qualifications are particularly valuable for learners who:
- Aspire to move into their first management role
- Want to strengthen their leadership knowledge before taking on greater responsibility
- Need a professional leadership qualification to support career progression
- Prefer assignment-based learning and assessment
- Want to build confidence and capability before moving onto skills-based programmes
They also provide a clear progression pathway into ILM's leadership and management skills qualifications, allowing learners to move from knowledge development to workplace application as their careers progress.
Flexible delivery for providers
For training providers, the development qualifications offer a flexible leadership development solution that can be delivered across a range of settings and learner groups.
The assignment-based approach supports knowledge-focused delivery, while the modular structure allows programmes to be tailored around learner needs and organisational priorities. Providers can also benefit from fast-track approval routes where eligible, helping them bring the qualifications to market quickly.
Join our launch webinar on 4 September
Want to learn more about ILM's new leadership and management development qualifications?
Join our webinar on 4 September to discover:
- Who the qualifications are designed for
- The key differences between development and skills qualifications
- Qualification structures and assessment methods
- Learner progression opportunities
- How providers can start delivering the new offer
Whether you're looking to expand your leadership and management portfolio or identify the right qualification pathway for your learners, this webinar will help you understand how the new development qualifications can support career progression through strong leadership foundations.
Register your place today and discover how ILM's new leadership and management development qualifications can help build the leaders of tomorrow.
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