The Institute of Management CIM/NVQ4

Management Effectiveness through Individual Development

The demand on managers are ever changing and ever growing. You need the confidence that arises from having your management competence recognised by a management qualification from the Institute of Management, Europe's leading professional management association.

Through this supported distance learning programme you will gain the benefits of practical experience and expertise distilled into the self study materials and workshops led by tutors with wide experience in all three sectors (Voluntary, Statutory and Private) and the chance to interact with other managers. The Competent Manager (which runs over a full year of 3 x 10 week terms) will enable you to succeed, both in your present work role and you future development.

Successful managers on the programme can look forward to the confidence that arises from:

maximising your potential and the potential of your staff
making better decisions
improving the quality and achieving the aims of whatever your organisation or business does

Entry Requirements: Candidates will have a minimum of twelve months (current) management experience. Candidates will be required to submit an essay not exceeding 1,000 words on either "The Role of The Voluntary Sector As We Approach The 21st Century" or "The Changing Role Of Management" plus a short statement on how the CIM/NVQ4 will help your personal and professional development. Candidates will also demonstrate by interview the ability to cope with, contribute to and benefit from the programme.

The Competent Manager - Open Programme is practical, relevant and flexible. It enables you to demonstrate your ability to meet the challenges of management. The programmes has been specifically designed by the Institute of Management, Europe's leading professional management association, to support you through the challenge of undertaking part-time study. The distance learning material allows you to work at your own pace and in your own way, avoiding the need for frequent attendance at colleges. However, this does not mean that you are on your own.

Workshops - for each module there are two, one day workshops. These are highly interactive events that allow you to develop competence in a structures environment. They do not provide further inputs of knowledge, but concentrate on the integration of knowledge, skills and personal qualities. Further regular 1:1 sessions will help participants prepare their portfolios of evidence of competence.

Assignment/Work-based activity - following the self-study materials and the workshops, participants then select real work activities, from options given by the Institute of Management on which to base their assignment work. These should be of direct benefit to your organisation and allow you to demonstrate to an assessor that you have achieved a required level of performance in a particular area of management.

The Modules

Communication - Personal Effectiveness Person to person communication; setting goals, planning, decision making; organising information; writing/presenting information; external communication, including advertising, PR, etc.

The Management Task
What "management" is and how it differs from other occupations; what a manager does; process of management; organisation of management; styles of management; the relationship between management and its context.

Managing Financial Resources
Financial Planning; monitoring and control techniques; statistical and cost analysis; basic accounting procedures; methods of improving profitability.

Managing People
Recruitment and selection; managing resources, including human resources; personal skills in managing people; learning and developing.

Managing Information
Managing information as a resource, handling data; sources of information; on-line databases; decision making skills; presentation skills; statistics; chairing meetings; the Data Protection Act 1984.

Managing Operations
Business planning and forecasting; the essentials of marketing; product design and development; purchasing and supply; production and manufacture; promoting sales; customer service; delivery and distribution; managing change; introduction to quality.