What are ILM qualifications?
ILM qualifications are leadership, management and coaching qualifications delivered under the ILM brand and formally awarded by City & Guilds Limited (company 16513878), the ownership of which passed to PeopleCert on 31 October 2025[cite:1][cite:2]. They cover Levels 2 to 7 on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF), from team-leader roles up to senior leaders and CEOs, and each level is offered in three sizes: Award, Certificate and Diploma[cite:3].
ILM positions itself as "the UK's leading provider of leadership, coaching and management qualifications and training", delivered through more than 2,500 training providers and awarding over 95,000 qualifications globally each year[cite:3][cite:4].
What does ILM stand for?
ILM is the full official name of the awarding brand — it is not an abbreviation to be expanded. It was formed through the merger of the Institute of Supervisory Management (ISM) and the National Examining Board for Supervision and Management (NEBSM), and became part of City & Guilds in November 2001[cite:3][cite:5].
ILM vs The Institute of Leadership & Management: two different organisations
A common source of confusion. Since December 2016, the awarding brand ILM (inside the City & Guilds group) and The Institute of Leadership & Management (a separate professional membership body, now trading as The Institute of Leadership) have been two distinct organisations[cite:6]. ILM qualifications include complimentary studying membership of The Institute of Leadership for learners, but the two bodies are legally and operationally separate.
Who owns ILM now? The 2025 PeopleCert acquisition
On 16 October 2025 the City and Guilds of London Institute announced the sale of its commercial awarding organisation and skills training activities to PeopleCert, and the deal completed on 31 October 2025[cite:1][cite:7]. The transaction transferred five businesses — City & Guilds Training, Gen2, Intertrain, ILM and The Oxford Group — to PeopleCert. The charitable City and Guilds of London Institute continues as the City & Guilds Foundation, and the divested business trades as City & Guilds Ltd, owned by PeopleCert.
PeopleCert reported that the acquisition adds roughly £160m of annual revenue (about €185m) and was part-financed with €150m from Eurobank[cite:1]. Reporting in December 2025 identified around £22m of planned savings at City & Guilds, including £13m of personnel cost synergies, with a portion of vacancies moving to Greece[cite:8].
What this means for existing ILM learners and holders: your qualification is unaffected. The awarding organisation (City & Guilds Limited) and its regulatory recognition remain in place. The change is one of corporate ownership, not of the qualification itself.
ILM levels explained: which level is right for you?
ILM's own guidance maps each level to specific job roles and academic equivalents[cite:9]:
| ILM level | Typical roles | Academic equivalent | | --- | --- | --- | | Level 2 | Team leaders, supervisors | GCSEs at grades A*–C | | Level 3 | Junior and first-line managers | A levels | | Level 4 | Middle managers | First year of a degree, HNC | | Level 5 | Middle managers with strategic responsibility | Second year of a degree, HND, DipHE | | Level 6 | Senior managers, directors of smaller organisations | Final year of a degree | | Level 7 | Senior leaders, CEOs, directors of large divisions | Postgraduate certificate, postgraduate diploma or Master's |
CMI additionally offers a Level 8 in Strategic Direction and Leadership Practice for the most senior leaders — ILM currently stops at Level 7[cite:10].
Award, Certificate or Diploma: what is the difference?
Every ILM level is offered in three sizes[cite:3]:
- Award — the shortest, typically a single unit. Useful for a focused skill (for example, coaching, or a specific management technique) or to test whether a full qualification is right for you.
- Certificate — a step up in credit size and depth. Typically covers a broader set of competencies.
- Diploma — the largest and most substantial, and the size normally required if the qualification is intended to demonstrate whole-role competence.
For Level 7 specifically, the ILM Level 7 Diploma in Leadership and Management (qualification 8617) carries 60 credits, and successful Diploma completion confers automatic eligibility for ILM Fellowship[cite:11].
The most popular ILM qualifications
The three qualifications that generate the bulk of ILM demand:
ILM Level 3 Award in Leadership and Management
The Level 3 Award is the natural starting point for newly-appointed team leaders and first-line managers. Short, focused and inexpensive, it is often used by employers to formalise the transition from experienced individual contributor to line manager. Level 3 is broadly equivalent to A level standard.
ILM Level 5 Certificate and Diploma
The Level 5 is the most common workplace management qualification in the UK. It suits middle managers with strategic responsibility and is broadly equivalent to the second year of a degree, an HND or a DipHE[cite:9]. The Diploma is normally the size chosen when the qualification is intended to be developmental across a full management role.
ILM Level 7: is it really equivalent to a Master's?
Same academic level, different qualification. The Level 7 Diploma is 60 credits, which ILM describes as equivalent to a postgraduate certificate and one third of a Master's degree (180 credits) at most UK business schools[cite:11]. It sits at the same RQF level as a Master's, but it is not a Master's degree in its own right.
How much do ILM qualifications cost, and how long do they take?
Because ILM is delivered through 2,500-plus centres, prices vary widely by provider, level, size and delivery mode. For Level 7 (the most cost-variable), one provider lists a leadership accreditation route at £2,495 + VAT[cite:12] and another lists the Level 7 Diploma at £3,950 including registration[cite:13]. Treat single-provider prices as illustrative and get comparable quotes for the exact level, size and delivery model you want.
Typical timings:
- Award: 1–3 months part-time
- Certificate: 3–6 months part-time
- Diploma: 9–12 months part-time (longer for Level 6 and 7)
ILM vs CMI: the complete comparison
CMI is different from ILM in kind, not just in brand. It is the UK's only chartered professional body for management and leadership, and Chartered Manager (CMgr) is a protected professional title with CMI as the named regulatory authority[cite:14]. This is the single most important distinction between the two: ILM certifies learning, while CMI both certifies learning and confers chartered status.
| | ILM | CMI | | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Awarding brand for leadership and management qualifications | Chartered professional body and awarding organisation | | Awarding organisation | City & Guilds Limited (company 16513878) | CMI | | Ownership | Part of City & Guilds; the commercial City & Guilds business was acquired by PeopleCert on 31 October 2025 | Independent chartered body | | Royal Charter | No | Yes | | Chartered status | Not offered | Chartered Manager (CMgr) — a protected professional title | | Levels | 2–7 | 2–8 | | Sizes | Award, Certificate, Diploma | Award, Certificate, Diploma, Extended Diploma | | Unit structure | More, smaller units — broader coverage | Fewer, longer units | | Membership | Complimentary studying membership of The Institute of Leadership; around 25,000 members and 4 grades (competitor-sourced, awaiting ILM primary confirmation) | Around 130,000 members with up to 7 membership grades (competitor-sourced, awaiting CMI primary confirmation) | | Chartered fast track | Not eligible — Full Assessment route only | Eligible from specified Level 5, 6, 7 or 8 CMI diplomas achieved in the last 5 years | | Available at Lift College | No | Yes — CMI Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership (Ofqual 603/8318/8) |
Membership figures in the table are drawn from a competitor source[cite:15] and should be treated as indicative pending verification against CMI and ILM primary sources.
Awarding organisation vs chartered professional body
An awarding organisation designs and awards qualifications regulated by Ofqual (in England). A chartered professional body does that too, and in addition holds a Royal Charter, sets professional standards, admits members, and — in CMI's case — confers a protected professional title. That is why CMI and ILM cannot be compared purely as awarding bodies: they are different types of organisation.
Chartered Manager status: what CMI offers that ILM does not
Chartered Manager (CMgr) is on the UK Government's regulated professions register, with CMI named as the regulatory authority[cite:14]. Only CMI can confer it. There is no equivalent chartered title inside the ILM offer.
Does an ILM qualification lead to Chartered Manager? The honest answer
No, not via the fast track. CMI's published Fast Track route to Chartered Manager is explicitly restricted to holders of a CMI Diploma or Extended Diploma in Management and Leadership at Level 5 or 6, or a CMI Certificate, Diploma or Extended Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership at Level 7 or 8, achieved within the last five years, plus three years' management experience[cite:16].
An ILM holder can still apply for Chartered Manager through CMI's Full Assessment route, which requires either a management, business or leadership degree plus three years' management experience, or five or more years' management experience, and currently costs £750 + VAT plus annual CMI membership[cite:16]. There is also an apprenticeship end-point-assessment route spanning Level 3 Team Leader to Level 7 Senior Leader, and a Foundation Chartered Manager (fCMgr) route for managers with under three years' experience.
Any article that claims "ILM qualifications lead to Chartered Manager status" without this caveat is oversimplifying: it depends entirely on which route you use.
Content and assessment style
Both bodies use portfolio-style, workplace-relevant assessment rather than exams at most levels. ICS Learn describes ILM as offering more, smaller units (giving broader coverage of specific skills) and CMI as offering fewer, longer units (giving deeper focus on core competencies)[cite:15]. In practice, either can be tailored to individual learner and organisational needs; the difference is more one of default structure than of quality.
Cost and duration
Both are within the same general price band for equivalent levels and sizes. Cost varies primarily by provider, not by awarding body. Ask any provider for a written quote covering registration, tuition, assessment and any additional charges (membership, exam retakes) before signing up.
Membership and ongoing benefits
CMI has multiple membership grades (Affiliate through to Chartered Companion), each with its own designation, benefits and progression criteria. ILM learners receive complimentary studying membership of The Institute of Leadership. Post-qualification, ILM Level 7 Diploma completers gain automatic eligibility for ILM Fellowship. CMI's membership progression is a significant part of its long-term value proposition; ILM's centre of gravity is closer to the qualification itself.
Which do employers prefer?
Both are widely accepted. Some employers (particularly in public sector leadership programmes) name CMI qualifications specifically because they lead to Chartered Manager status. Others accept ILM without distinction. If an employer is paying, always ask two questions: which qualifications will they fund, and which qualifications count for internal promotion frameworks.
ILM or CMI: which should you choose?
There is no universally correct answer. Use this decision framework:
- You want the shortest possible route to chartered management status → CMI Level 5 (or above) Diploma, then CMI Fast Track. ILM does not qualify for Fast Track.
- You want a short focused skill qualification (coaching, first-line management, a specific technique) → an ILM Award may be the fastest and most cost-effective route.
- Your employer will fund either but only recognises one internally → follow the employer's recognition. Both are respected qualifications.
- You are self-funding and unsure → look at where you want to be in five years. If chartered status matters, favour CMI. If it does not, either is fine and the choice becomes about provider fit, cost and delivery style.
Does a management qualification actually increase your salary?
Oxford Economics modelling for CMI (published May 2019, based on 636 respondents) found that each Chartered Manager boosts their organisation's revenue by £62,000 a year and £310,000 over five years, that the average pay rise on becoming Chartered is £13,000, and that each newly Chartered manager contributes an additional £22,400 a year to the UK economy[cite:17]. CMI's current organisations page cites slightly different figures of £59,000 a year and £294,000 over five years[cite:18].
Both figures are worth knowing — and worth understanding for what they are: modelled, self-reported figures rather than audited outcomes. They are indicative of the value that Chartered Managers themselves report, not a guaranteed return on any single qualification.
Progression routes after ILM or CMI
Common routes forward:
- ILM Level 5 → CMI Level 5 or 6 → CMI Chartered Manager (Full Assessment) — some learners use ILM for their initial qualification, then move to CMI for the chartered status route.
- CMI Level 5 → CMI Level 7 → CMI Fast Track to Chartered Manager — the most direct chartered route.
- ILM Level 7 → ILM Fellowship, or CMI Level 7 → application for Chartered Fellow (CCMI) — the senior end of both frameworks.
- Either → applied Master's in Business or Leadership — some UK universities will accept a Level 7 Diploma as prior credit against a full Master's degree.
Where Lift College sits
Full transparency. Lift College offers CMI, not ILM. Our flagship management qualification is the CMI Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership, qualification number 603/8318/8, at RQF Level 5, taking 9–12 months, with no exams and including CMI Associate Membership.
That commercial choice does not change the recommendation above. If ILM is a better fit for your specific situation (an ILM Award for a focused skill, an employer who names ILM in their funding policy, or a Level 6 route that Lift does not currently deliver), take the ILM route. If you want the most direct path to Chartered Manager, or a substantial workplace-relevant management diploma with built-in professional membership, look at our Management faculty hub, the CMI Level 5 Diploma course page, and our funding and costs page.
For a broader look at qualification frameworks generally, see also UCAS Points: The Complete Guide.
Frequently asked questions
See the [FAQ set](#faqs) above for definitive answers to the most common ILM and ILM-vs-CMI questions.
Sources
[cite:1]: https://www.cityandguilds.com/en/news/October-2025/city-guilds-of-london-institute-secures-landmark-deal-to-strengthen-its-scope-for-increased-social-impact [cite:2]: https://www.peoplecert.org/news-and-announcements/peoplecert-announces-the-acquisition-of-City-and-Guilds [cite:3]: https://www.cityandguilds.com/international/ilm [cite:4]: https://careers.cityandguilds.com/about/our-businesses/ilm [cite:5]: https://www.i-l-m.com/news-and-events/Information-for-media/Research [cite:6]: https://impellus.com/media-blog/difference-ilm-and-institute-of-leadership-management/ [cite:7]: https://www.cityandguilds.com/news/january-2026/a-statement-from-the-trustees [cite:8]: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/dec/14/city-guilds-uk-workforce-peoplecert-cost-cutting-drive [cite:9]: https://www.i-l-m.com/learning-and-development/qualifications-explained [cite:10]: https://www.managers.org.uk/education-and-learning/management-qualifications/level-8-strategic-direction-leadership-practice/ [cite:11]: https://www.i-l-m.com/-/media/ilm-website/sharepoint-documents/_published-documents/8617-level-7-certificate-and-diploma-in-leadership-and-management-ilm-part-b-specification,-d-,docx.ashx [cite:12]: https://sewaleseas.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Leadership-Accreditation-ILM-Level-7-Overview-English.pdf [cite:13]: https://pma-uk.org/workshops/pma-ilm-level-7-diploma-in-leadership-management/ [cite:14]: https://www.regulated-professions.service.gov.uk/professions/chartered-manager [cite:15]: https://www.icslearn.co.uk/blog/management/cmi-or-ilm-which-qualification-is-better/ [cite:16]: https://www.managers.org.uk/membership/chartered-manager/routes-to-chartered-manager-status/ [cite:17]: https://www.managers.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Infographics-Chartered-Manager-2019.pdf [cite:18]: https://www.managers.org.uk/our-services/chartered-for-organisations/