First Line Management

CMI Level 3 Management Qualifications 

The Level 3 qualifications in First Line Management are designed for supervisors and first line managers who wish to build on and develop their existing management skills and knowledge.

First line managers have some responsibility for the recruitment and development of personnel, make decisions relating to resources and usually initiate employment and disciplinary decisions. 

The qualification is suitable for both newly appointed or more experienced managers due to the ability to create a highly tailored programme built from a wide variety of available units.

What qualifications are there at this level

Three management qualifications are available at this level:

• Award in First Line Management 
• Certificate in First Line Management, and 
• Diploma in First Line Management. 

The difference between these three management qualification options is the number of units you study and pass. Each unit is given a “credit value”, and for each qualification there is a minimum number of “credits” to achieve. So you can choose the size of management qualification that is just right for you. Later you can add more units and “upgrade” your qualification until you obtain the Diploma for your chosen management level.

Apart from the Diploma option where certain units are mandatory, it is possible to have a free choice over the units you wish to study. We have selected the most popular units for our standard courses, but if you would like to choose different units please contact us before you enrol.

The units available for the Level 3 First Line Management qualification range are:

3001    Personal development as a first line manager

Content includes: planning and managing the work, creating effective working relationships, understanding how to develop great management skills. Credit:6

3002    Resource planning

Content includes: identifying resource requirements, creating resource plans, monitoring and reviewing resource usage and responding to changes. Credit: 6

3003    Meeting stakeholder needs

Content includes: identifying stakeholders and their needs, continuous improvement, making a case for change, and understanding how to gain commitment to changes. Credit: 6

3004    Managing and communicating information

Content includes: data and information collection and analysis, trend analysis, making and presenting conclusions. Credit: 6

3005    Developing individuals and teams

Content includes: setting and managing objectives, performance reviews, identifying development opportunities for teams and individuals. Credit: 6

3006    Recruitment and selection

Content includes: identifying staffing level requirements, understanding effective recruitment processes and making good selection decisions. Credit: 6

3007    Maintaining quality standards

Content includes: key quality concepts, identifying, measuring and reviewing quality standards and team outputs. Credit: 6

3008    Improving team performance

Content includes: how to be proactive about performance, identifying and responding to performance issues, understanding the role of grievance and disciplinary processes. Credit: 7

3009    Management communication

Content includes: understanding what makes communication effective, organising team communications and briefings, report writing. Credit: 6

3010    Being a leader

Content includes: leadership training including understanding different types of leadership styles and when to use them, developing leadership skills for impact. Credit: 6

How many units are needed for the qualifications

Award = 1 unit (6 Credits)

Certificate = 3 units (13 credits)

Diploma = 7 units (42 credits)

For more information request a copy of our Free guide to management qualification levels: