Advanced Diploma of Leadership and Management

The Advanced Diploma of Leadership and Management is a one-year qualification for people who want to step into team leader, supervisor or middle management roles, or who already hold one and want formal recognition. It sits at the diploma/advanced diploma level of the Australian Qualifications Framework, below a bachelor degree. You will study how organisations plan, lead and report, and how managers get work done through other people.

Delivery is typically over two or three study periods across the year, with each unit carrying credit points toward the qualification. Core areas usually include leading and managing team effectiveness, developing and using emotional intelligence, managing operational plans, workplace relationships, risk, and continuous improvement. Assessment is competency-based: you show you can apply the skills, often through workplace projects, case studies and portfolios rather than exams alone. Where a provider arranges it, work-integrated learning or a placement in a real workplace lets you build evidence against the units on the job.

You come out able to write an operational plan, run a team meeting that actually achieves something, give feedback, manage a budget or project, and report on performance to senior managers. The course suits people already working in administration, retail, hospitality, health or trades who are moving into supervision, as well as international students seeking an Australian qualification with a practical bent. It also provides a pathway into further study, with credit often granted toward a bachelor degree in business or management.

For international students, this is a CRICOS-registered course (code 105487K), so it is available on a Student visa. While studying you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight, and on completion you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream, depending on your circumstances. Entry normally requires English proficiency; IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the common standard for coursework at this level, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the provider's own English programmes accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa itself. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register. Confirm current entry requirements, fees and start dates on the official page before applying.

• Team Leader or Supervisor, retail, hospitality, logistics, aged care and community services.
• Office or Administration Manager, small to medium businesses, professional services, government agencies.
• Operations Coordinator, manufacturing, transport, facilities management.
• Project Support Officer, construction, IT, events and consulting firms.
• Customer Service Manager, banking, insurance, telecommunications and utilities.
• Small Business Owner or Manager, running your own operation or a franchise.