What Will the Level 5 Mean for the IRP?

Recruitment is a dynamic, fast-paced and highly competitive industry. IRP membership helps guide you through your career. It offers career development from the start with a wide range of qualifications.

From a level 2 qualification in Recruitment Resourcing (QCF) right through to our brand new level 5 qualification in Recruitment Leadership - they go from GCSE standard all the way up to degree.

But what does this mean for you?

We sat down with Head of the IRP and Qualifications, Richard Charnock, to find out what the brand new qualification means for the IRP.

What will the Level 5 mean for the IRP?

“The Level 5 is a continuation for the Career Routeway. The routeway takes someone from GCSE standard, A Level standard, through to Level 4 and Level 5 which is a degree standard.

Each qualification is designed so that a professional who wishes to stay at the top can undertake them. They are also designed with a specific role in mind. The Level 5 is designed for senior managers and directors. It’s a leadership qualification. It helps managers grow and develop their business and professional competency.

For the first time it looks at things outside of our other qualifications. It has very little in the way of specific operational requirements and techniques. It has some about relationship development and management, but very little around the sales side - that is for the Level 3 and 4.”

What do you study in the Level 5?

“The Level 5 has seven mandatory units and seven optional units of which the person sitting the qualification has to complete one or two depending on which units they choose.

If you look at the mandatory units, strategic business planning is something we have never covered in a qualification before. Financial management is not about reading P&L's, and spreadsheets. It's about in-depth insight into financial management and financial control within the recruitment industry as a whole.

There are two units which are covered in the L4 which have been kept for the L5, as they are considered to be the pinnacle - by the employer panel which was set up to create the qualification. They are the legal unit, which is The Principles for Legal and Ethical Requirements in Recruitment, and also Understanding Contracts.

If you've studied the L4, is it the natural step to study the L5?

“Yes, the L4 is aimed for team leaders, so it’s quite operational. So if you've done that, and you’re successful at that and you have an aspiration as an individual to go onto senior management/directorship/strategic roles, then this is the catalyst for that.

Likewise, for the business, if the business identifies someone they believe to be a future leader for their company then this is the qualification for that.”

Next Steps

Download the IRP Career Routeway, to track your skills and experience to date, and map out your future career path.