Qualification Accreditation

Gain the advantage
We recognise qualifications to promote the educational opportunities available and to support future practitioners get ahead by joining a professional body and the invaluable benefits this can bring.
IIRSM accreditation provides an independent and valuable benchmark of your qualifications. It brings the value of IIRSM’s professional standards and international brand together with your educational standards and expertise, providing you with a competitive edge.
Your students will also be eligible for free student membership for the duration of their studies, and they get a lot more than ‘letters after their name’ when they graduate. We help them with their studies and accelerate in their chosen career through ongoing learning and support to ensure their skills, competencies and experiences continually develop and evolve.
- Alignment of your qualifications to professional standards set by a leading international risk and safety body.
- Use of IIRSM’s ‘Accredited Qualification’ logo on promotional and qualification materials.
- Access to an international network of branches and corporate partners.
- Collaborate and share research on relevant and topical areas.
- Organisation and qualifications listed on IIRSM’s website.
- Discounted IIRSM membership for tutors/trainers.
- Discounted advertising rates in the IIRSM bi-monthly magazine The Sentinel, and IIRSM Professional Development Newsletters.
- Kudos: being a student member of IIRSM looks good on their CV and shows future employers a level of early commitment to their career and professional development, particularly if they get involved in our activities.
- Support and advice: access to free masterclasses and workshops, technical telephone helplines, our Emerging Risk Leaders’ Network and mentoring scheme.
- Information and resources: receive regular news updates, access to our Info Hub, attend webinars and get a free digital subscription to our bi-monthly member magazine, The Sentinel, full of risk intelligence.
- Networking and connections: opportunity to meet and network with like-minded students and experienced professionals through international branches and regional UK networks.
- Discounts: receive a discount on professional membership on graduation of their qualification.
IIRSM’s Risk Management and Leadership Competence Framework is purposefully presented in a generic way so it can be interpreted and applied to different areas of risk practice/study, for example:
- Health and safety
- Business continuity
- Risk management
- Crisis management
- Wellbeing
- Project risk
- Resilience
- and more.
Our standards are not designed to provide a complete syllabus, as this will be determined by the awarding organisation within your own educational standards and criteria.
The IIRSM learning content in which qualification will be accredited is designed to cover the core knowledge, skills and application requirements for the practice of risk and safety management and associated fields.
Qualifications will need to meet the overarching level descriptors aligned to IIRSMs framework and corresponding membership grade. Plus, at least 75% of IIRSM’s learning content needs to be covered within an accredited qualification.
Please read the IIRSM Qualification Accreditation Guidance and Information Document.
There are four steps to gain accreditation.
Read this guidance document in full and submit your application with all required supporting materials. We are here to help, so do get in touch with any questions before you submit your application.
Your application will be reviewed by a member of IIRSM’s professional development team to ensure your application is complete, we will then issue an invoice for payment of the accreditation fee.
On receipt of payment, the IIRSM professional development team, and where appropriate, suitably qualified assessors will conduct a review of the documentation you have submitted to ensure it meets our criteria.
We aim to complete all standard assessments within 10-12 weeks, however, for applications that are particularly niche it may take longer. We aim to complete all reviews in good time and will keep you updated on progress.
If your application has been successful, we will provide:
- A letter confirming that your qualification(s) have been accredited and recognised towards a specific grade of IIRSM membership. Please note, accreditation of the qualification(s) is valid for a two-year period.
- However, any substantial changes made within this time needs to be communicated to IIRSM for review to maintain accreditation.
- An IIRSM ‘Accredited Qualification’ logo that can be used on marketing materials, website and course materials if appropriate and a description of IIRSM to appear next to the logo with a link to our website.
and ask you for:
- A logo to be added to our website, together with a short description of the educational body.
- Documentation setting out how and where you will promote IIRSM and membership.
If your application has been unsuccessful, we will provide:
- Feedback on any changes or additional information we require for re-submission. Should you wish to re-apply, we will waive the accreditation fee if we receive your resubmission within 2 months of the date you were notified.
IIRSM charges £800 to accredit your qualification, no matter its type, length and level. However, if your qualification is particularly complex or niche and we need to bring in specialists to assess the course, there may be an additional charge, but we will inform you.
The fee covers an accreditation period of 2 years, including one interim review of any substantial amendments made to a qualification.
All fees are subject to VAT for those paying in the UK.
Fees are renewed annually on 1 July.
Renewal fees
Two months before the end of your 2 year accreditation period, you will automatically be sent a renewal letter and invoice. This will include any annual increments that have been made to the fees.
Accrediting qualifications not in English
We approve most languages, however if your qualification is in a language that we cannot assess we would require you to send an English version of the course and materials along with the original language.
We can facilitate translation into English for the purpose of accrediting qualifications. Please contact approval@iirsm.org for costs.
Prior to completing your application, please read through the Qualification Accreditation Guidance and Information Document.
If you have any questions about completing your application, please do get in touch with our team at approval@iirsm.org or +44 (0)20 8741 9100.
All applications and supporting evidence should be sent to approval@iirsm.org