memberservices@cilip.org.uk
IN DEPTH
CILIP accreditation for learning providers delivering standards you can trust
Rob Green is Editor of Information Professional.
CILIP’s accreditation programme for learning providers and courses has been relaunched following a comprehensive review. Here Rob Green looks at what it means and why Accreditation matters to employers, learning partners and those taking the courses.
CILIP accredited courses have been a gold standard for institutions looking for inde- pendent credibility around their library and information studies courses. Securing accred itation demonstrates a commitment to delivering high-quality courses and training. In order to keep accreditation relevant and up to date, CILIP undertook a review – pausing submissions ahead of this year’s relaunch. The review looked at all parts of the scheme to ensure it continues to meet the needs of learning providers, students and employers. The re-launched scheme continues to be built around CILIP Profes- sional Knowledge and Standards Base (PKSB), which maps the core knowledge and skills of the profession.
Why accreditation matters
CILIP’s learning provider accreditation is designed to help students choose information, library and archive career programmes that cover the essential skills and knowledge needed for the profession. Each accredited programme is rigoursly assessed to ensure every element meets the required standards. Putting the PKSB at the heart of the assessment framework, means that accredited course and training track to real-world skills and knowledge requirements. The PKSB is a flexible and practical tool which has been designed to be straight forward and com- prehensive in order to capture the many different types of skills and knowledge that are expected of a modern information professional. This means that those enrolled on the courses can be confident that the skills they learn will be valued by employers. The first institutions to be awarded accreditation under the newly relaunhced scheme are:
l Manchester Metropolitan University’s MA in Library and Information Management;
l University of Manchester’s MA in Library and Archive Studies;
l NHS Knowledge for Healthcare Learning Academy short course programme.
June-July 2026
Manchester Metropolitan University said: “Re-affirming our status as a leading learning part- ner in the Library and Information Profession the MA Library and Information Management has been awarded a five-year accreditation from CILIP. This professional body benchmarks libraries, archives, data and information management programmes on international standards from across education, research, professional values and ethics, and on evidence of sustainability and engagement with the profession and practice.
“This award strengthens our reputation for pro- viding world class education about information and information science, and specifically on the MA in the core knowledge areas of Information Manage- ment, Information Exploitation & Use, Information Governance & Compliance, Research, and Literacies & Learning.”
Streamlining the process
CILIP said: “Under the revised process, institutions seeking accreditation must supply copies of existing quality assurance reports, streamlining the vali- dation process. Additionally, institutions are still required to meet with CILIP assessors to discuss submitted documentation. The process also places a strong emphasis on capturing the student perspec- tive, with interviews conducted to gain insight into the student experience on accredited courses. “To ensure the robustness of the new approach, a pilot involving a sample group of institutions was carried out, confirming that the redesigned process is both effective and efficient. This relaunch marks an important step in maintaining high standards across the sector and ensuring that accredited programmes continue to meet the needs of both students and employers.”
Universities interested in exploring accreditation of their programmes should contact our Member Services team at
memberservices@cilip.org.uk for further information. IP
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