CIPD Level 5 Diploma L&D

Course details

The CIPD Level 5 Intermediate Diploma in L&D is the most comprehensive L&D qualification at this level.

To gain your CIPD Level 5 qualification you must complete seven units in total - five which are mandatory and a set of two which are chosen by you from two possible pathways: 

1. Developing professional practice in L&D

On successful completion of this unit, you will:

• Understand the knowledge, skills and behaviours required of a learning and development professional.
• Be able to manage self and workload to deliver timely and effective learning and development services to meet client need.
• Be able to work collaboratively with others, as a member of a team or working group.
• Be able to apply CPD techniques to devise, implement and review a personal development plan.

 2. Understanding the context of L&D

On successful completion of this unit, you will:

• Understand the nature of organising and managing in a variety of contexts.
• Be able to analyse the key factors influencing achievement of strategic objectives in varying organisation contexts and their impact on learning and development policies and practice.
• Understand how to develop learning and development policies and activities to respond to and exploit the limitations and opportunities arising from varying contextual factors.

3. Using information, metrics and developing business cases for L&D

On successful completion of this unit, you will:

• Know how to scrutinise appropriate learning and development data.
• Be able to conduct small-scale research in an area of learning and development to support a business case.

 4. Evaluating L&D in a knowledge economy

On completion of this unit, you will:

• Understand the meaning and purposes of evaluation within a learning and development context.
• Know about different theories, tools and techniques for evaluating learning and development activities.
• Know about the challenges for evaluating learning and development within a knowledge economy.

5. Designing and developing digital and blended learning solutions

On successful completion of this unit, you will:

• Understand current digital technologies and their contribution to learning and development solutions.
• Be able to design blended learning solutions that make appropriate use of new technologies alongside more traditional approaches.
• Know about the processes involved in designing and developing digital learning content efficiently and what makes for engaging and effective digital learning content.
• Understand the issues involved in the successful implementation of digital and blended learning solutions.

Optional Diploma Pathways

For your two final units, choose between the Manager and Professional pathways:

The Manager pathway is suitable for students who want to learn how to develop and implement creative and strategic business solutions to help drive organisational performance.

The Professional pathway is suitable for students who want to find out more about cutting edge developments in L&D, enhancing participant engagement and collective and social learning.

The Manager Pathway Units

1. Developing leadership and management skills

On successful completion of this unit, you will:

• Understand the distinction between leadership and management.
• Be able to explain different approaches to developing leaders and managers and the role of the learning and development function.
• Understand how to ensure the ownership and success of leadership and management development programmes.

2. Managing the L&D business function

On successful completion of this unit, you will:

• Understand the evolving nature, purpose and business improvement activities of the learning and development function in contemporary organisations.
• Understand different models for delivering the learning and development function.
• Be able to manage different aspects of the learning and development function.

The Professional Pathway Units

1. Enhancing participant engagement in the learning process

On successful completion of this unit, you will:

• Be able to use stakeholder analysis to inform their learning activities.
• Understand motivation theory as it relates to the learning process.
• Be able to use neuroscience and psychology to enhance engagement throughout the learning process.

2. Facilitating collective and social learning

On successful completion of this unit, you will:

• Understand the constructs of collective and social learning.
• Know about different models of collective and social learning and their application within the workplace.
• Understand how technology has transformed the nature and shape of collective and social learning.
• Understand the benefits and challenges of facilitating collective and social learning in organisations.

You will need to choose your pathway at the point of enrolment. If you are not sure which pathway will suit you best, our Enrolment Advisors can help.

This qualification is delivered and assessed fully online; for each of the seven units you will need to submit an assessment online. The programme typically takes 14 months to complete.