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CMI Level 5 Qualifications in Management and Leadership

Become the leader you want to be.

The CMI Level 5 qualification helps department and middle managers build confidence, enhance leadership capability and benchmark their skills against internationally recognised standards. Participants strengthen strategic thinking, people leadership and decision making through applied learning.

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CMI Level 5 Qualifications in Management and Leadership

At a Glance

Learning Objectives:

  • Strengthen leadership capability in areas such as people management, decision-making and performance
  • Build confidence through applied learning and real-world assignments
  • Deepen understanding of leadership practice, organisational effectiveness and strategic thinking
  • Develop reflective practice and personal accountability through structured feedback
  • Gain an internationally recognised professional qualification benchmarked against CMI standards

Who’s it For?

  • Practising middle managers and departmental leaders
  • Aspiring leaders preparing for greater responsibility
  • Professionals managing people, projects or operations
  • Organisations seeking a structured development pathway aligned to global leadership standards
CMI Level 5 Qualifications in Management and Leadership

Programme Overview

This programme develops the capabilities required for effective leadership at departmental and mid-management level. Through blended learning, practical assignments and real-world application, participants strengthen their leadership practice and gain a recognised professional qualification awarded by the Chartered Management Institute. Learners study at their own pace and choose from Award, Certificate or Diploma pathways.

Flexible Pathways

Choose an Award, Certificate or Diploma to study at your own pace.

Recognised Excellence

Achieve an internationally benchmarked qualification awarded by the CMI.

Practical Application

Apply learning directly to workplace challenges to build confidence and capability.

  • integrity, innovation, impact, inspiration, partnership

  • integrity, innovation, impact, inspiration, partnership

  • integrity, innovation, impact, inspiration, partnership

Our Programme is Fully-Accredited by the CMI (Chartered Management Institution).

Our programme is fully accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), ensuring it meets rigorous professional standards and delivers credible, real-world leadership impact.

CMI Centre accreditation logo for Inspirational Group,

Your Learning Journey

Once all units are successfully assessed, you are awarded the CMI Level 5 qualification corresponding to your chosen pathway.

Orientation and Set-Up

You are introduced to the qualification structure, assessment format and unit options. You receive support to select the pathway and units that match your goals.

01

Core Learning and Exploration

You work through structured materials that explore leadership practice, decision making, performance management and organisational effectiveness.

02

Applied Learning Tasks

You complete a series of written assignments that analyse key leadership topics and demonstrate applied understanding in your organisational context.

03

Feedback and Refinement

You receive feedback from your assessor to strengthen your work, refine thinking and support successful completion of each unit.

04

Qualification Completion

Once all units are successfully assessed, you are awarded the CMI Level 6 qualification aligned to your chosen pathway.

05

Programme Units

Your CMI Level 5 qualification is built from a selection of the units below. You can complete one unit for an Award, multiple units for a Certificate, or a full suite of units for a Diploma.

 

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Principles of Management and Leadership Practice

Developing and Aligning Strategy

Shaping Organizational Culture

Leading Leaders and Developing Capability

Enabling Innovation and Change

Managing Organizational Performance.

Choose Your Pathway

Choose the pathway that best aligns with your experience, role, and accreditation requirements.

Award Pathway

Option 1

Single unit, self-paced, online study
3 to 6 months
Online

Leadership insight

Practical workplace application

Clear communication

Reflective practice

A focused introduction to leadership with one assessed unit.
Certificate Pathway

Option 2

Multiple units, self-paced online study
6-12 months
Online

Broader senior leadership capability

Stronger decision making

Applied change awareness

Team performance tools

A deeper understanding of leadership that strengthens performance and confidence.
Diploma Pathway

Option 3

Full qualification, multi-unit programme, self-paced study
12-24 months
Blended

Comprehensive leadership capability

Strategic thinking

Coaching and people development

Leading change effectively

A full professional qualification equivalent to the second year of a degree.

Key Outcomes

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An internationally-recognised professional qualification

Strengthened leadership capability

Improved confidence and clarity

Better decision making

Practical application of learning

Enhanced people leadership

Greater organizational impact

Benchmarking against global standards

Ask an Expert

CMI Level 5 Qualifications in Management and Leadership
Nigel-Girling

Head of Professional Development and Qualifications

Nigel Girling

CMI Level 5 Qualifications in Management and Leadership
Christopher-Morgan

CMI Lead Verifier

Christopher Morgan

CMI Level 5 Qualifications in Management and Leadership
Rona-Mackenzie

Associate Consultant

Dr. Rona Mackenzie

  • “IG continues to provide an excellent programme for people moving into early leadership roles and this has had a lasting impact both on the individuals and the business, with much of the success down to the very experiential nature of the programme combined with powerful content.”  
    Richard Coles, Senior Project Manager, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare
  • “IG delivered an outstanding, highly interactive two-day team development workshop, combining theory on high-performing teams with challenging, practical activities in the Sandhurst setting.”
    Will Roberts, Barclays
  • “IG’s consistent track record with The Crown Prince’s Training Programme for Youth has seen a further successful roll out – for the sixth year. The students of course continue to gain from both the intellectual and practical aspects of the course – designed to make them self-aware, proactive, and confident.”  
    Shaikha Marwa Bint Rashed Al-Khalifa, Court of the Crown Prince Training Programme for Youth
  • “IG expertly balances formal assessment with genuine empathy. Their consultants’ exceptional people skills, particularly in one-to-one sessions, gave me real confidence in the impact of the programme. I was very impressed with their approach.”
    Sam Whale, UK Sport Elite Coach Programme
  • “The business simulation shows the immediate impact of decisions, builds strategic thinking and team performance, and leaves people clearer on their role in long-term commercial success.”
    Bob Pearce, AS Watson
  • “IG delivered an exceptional delegate experience. Highly engaging, very relevant and expertly delivered. The networking and team building opportunities provided by the simulation have also proved invaluable. We are looking forward to working with IG again.”
    Andy Braddel, CB&I
  • “Superbly facilitated, fun and challenging in a stimulating environment. It significantly contributed to the success of our London Operations, strengthening business awareness, decision-making and commercial performance. I would highly recommend IG.”
    Barry Hawley, CB&I
  • Partnering with IG has enabled us to unlock the potential of our people and enabled them to lead with compassion and be more adaptable in times of accelerated change.
    Will Tasho, Hays

    Are you interested in this programme?

    Get in touch here, wether you want more information about the programme, speak to our leaders or book the programme.

    FAQs

    It is ideal for practising middle managers, aspiring leaders, departmental managers and anyone responsible for people, projects or operations.

    An Award focuses on a single leadership topic. A Certificate covers a broader selection of units. A Diploma provides a full set of leadership units for complete development.

    CMI guidelines suggest that an Award typically takes 3 to 6 months to complete, a Certificate 6 to 12 months, and a Diploma 12 to 24 months, depending on pace of study. However, our experience over many years indicates that most learners take closer to double these timeframes to complete their qualification.

    Assessment is completed through written assignments that apply leadership concepts to your workplace. All submissions are reviewed by qualified CMI assessors.

    Yes. Inspirational Group is approved to assess and deliver CMI Level 5 qualifications, ensuring high-quality learning and international recognition.

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