Level 3 Award in First Line Management

WHO ARE FIRST LINE MANAGERS?

First line managers may be engaged in some of the tasks performed by their fellow team members but this will not constitute their primary function. They will be managers who also practice. This means that they should be engaged much more extensively in managerial tasks which other team members will not engage in.

First line managers will normally have a wider span of control than team leaders with a larger number of members in their team - more likely to be in double figures and possibly even up to 20 or 30 people. They will also have extensive control, responsibility, authority and a high degree of autonomy. This will be reflected in their ability to make decisions which have some resource implications, initiate actions in relation to the employment of others and operate with less supervision or control by others. They will also tend to work with longer time horizons that team leaders when planning work, looking several weeks or months ahead.

First line managers will be expected to have a greater knowledge than, for example, team leaders of internal and external customers or suppliers and their specific requirements. However, they are not likely to make decisions to vary the terms under which customers or suppliers trade with their company. A first line manager would be expected to have some superior technical ability as well as having sometimes to make more subjective judgements which demand understanding of relationships between people working together. This is likely to extend to the relationship between customer or supplier and the employing organisation or other market-related criteria, e.g. decisions that demand some insight into the way the organisation relates to external individuals or organisations.

What distinguishes first line managers from middle managers is that they have very limited budgetary responsibility. They may make decisions about resource utilisation but the budgetary accountability for these resources exists at a higher level. They are also limited in the range of decisions they can make compared to middle managers, with all delegated decision making heavily circumscribed by rules or procedures.

DURATION AND CONTENT

The Level 3 Award in First Line Management is a unit based qualification and each unit is assigned a credit value. To meet the standards of the qualification candidates are required to complete one mandatory unit and optional units to a combined credit level of 5.

Qualtech is offering a programme which we feel provides the greatest all round development for individual managers through achievement of the units below:

• M3.01 Solving Problems and making decisions (mandatory unit)
• M3.09 Giving Briefings and Making Presentations in the Workplace
• M3.10 Introduction to Leadership.

Qualtech is offering a four day development programme encompassing the following topics to assist candidates achieve the ILM Award:

• Induction
• Problem Solving (3.01)
• Planning Change and Allocating Work
• Giving Briefings and Presentations
• Quantitative Techniques for Managers
• Leadership and Motivation (3.10)
• Presentations, Discussions and Evaluations

The criteria for this qualification requires candidates to complete a 34-hour programme within one year comprising:

• Induction (one hour)
• 31 hours of learning through workshops and/or self study
• Tutorial support (two hours)

During their programme candidates will maintain a Personal Development Record to record details of any learning, training or development activities they undertake.

ASSESSMENT

Candidates are required to complete formal assessments as follows:
· A written Work Based Assignment, based on a problem in the workplace, of 1000 to 2000 words (set externally by ILM and internally moderated by Qualtech)
· A formal presentation of their findings from the above, including the research, preparation and evaluation of the outcomes
· A Reflective Review based on the Introduction to Leadership unit.

PROGRESSION

By completing the modules included in the Award in First Line Management, candidates will acquire competencies which relate directly to a Management NVQ at Level 3, also Level 3 Certificate or Diploma in First Line Management and Level 4 Award in Management. Candidates may wish to progress to any of these qualifications.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This qualification aims to give practising or potential first line managers the foundation for their formal development in this role. The programme has two primary objectives:

• To assist participants in gaining the basic knowledge required by a manager
• To develop basic management skills.

The qualification is awarded by the Institute of Leadership and Management and successful completion of the Award in First Line Management provides eligibility for Associate Membership of the Institute of Leadership & Management (AInstLM).