Advanced Diploma of Leadership and Management

The Advanced Diploma of Leadership and Management is a practical, one-and-a-half-year qualification for people who want to run teams, projects and business units. You study how organisations plan, how budgets work, how to lead people through change, and how to keep operations compliant. Expect units on managing operational plans, leading and managing effective workplace relationships, developing and using emotional intelligence, managing risk, and building business relationships. Assessment is usually a mix of written tasks, case studies, presentations and projects drawn from real workplace situations, not just exams.

This is an Australian AQF qualification at diploma level. Courses like this are usually delivered over two or three study periods a year, with each unit carrying a set number of credit points. There is no honours year attached, and no research thesis, because the focus is applied management rather than academic research. Many providers build in a work placement or a simulated workplace project so you can apply what you learn in an actual business setting. Credit for previous study or relevant work experience may be available under recognition of prior learning, so ask the college what evidence they need.

You will finish with skills employers ask for every day: writing a business plan, running a meeting, reading a profit and loss statement, giving feedback, managing a difficult customer, and making decisions with incomplete information. The course suits people already working who want a formal management credential, career changers moving into supervisory roles, and international students who want an Australian qualification that maps to real jobs. Australian workplaces are regulated, so you also learn the compliance side, work health and safety, anti-discrimination, privacy and fair work obligations.

English requirements for international applicants are set by the college and by the Department of Home Affairs. The published standard for coursework at this level is usually IELTS Academic 6.0 to 6.5 overall, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the college's own English programmes accepted as equivalents. The Student visa has its own separate English threshold. While studying, a student visa generally allows 48 hours of work per fortnight during term. After graduating, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may be available depending on your circumstances. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 106191G, check the official page for current fees, intake dates and entry requirements.

• Team leader or supervisor, retail, hospitality, logistics, manufacturing, aged care and community services.
• Office or administration manager, professional services firms, government agencies, not-for-profits.
• Project coordinator, construction, IT, events and marketing teams.
• Operations coordinator, transport, warehousing, facilities management.
• Customer service manager, banks, insurers, telecommunications and utilities.
• Small business owner or manager, running your own operation with staff and budgets.
• Frontline manager in health or community services, team leadership in service delivery settings.